


Pressing That Rewind Button | INDEFINITE HIATUS

by five_x_vanya (markling_jin)



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Abuse, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Angst, Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Comfort/Angst, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Guilt, Heavy Angst, Humor, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Light Angst, Protective Siblings, Pseudo-Incest, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, Romantic Fluff, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Incest, Sibling Love, Sibling Rivalry, Siblings, Teen Angst, Teen Romance, Teen Years, Teenage Drama, Teenagers, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2019-11-29 03:01:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 28,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18217298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/markling_jin/pseuds/five_x_vanya
Summary: ❝We were kids, it's been a whileBut you still work to make me smileStolen kiss now I can't wait to waste my life away with youYou, waste my life away with you...❞Suggesting that they all travel back to the year 2002, Five and the rest of Hargreeves have to now adjust to their adolescent years knowing the things that happen when they were adults. From their dear old dad killing himself to bring them all back together to Vanya being the source of apocalypse, but one thing is for sure... They needed to make sure that Vanya never grows up alone and completely damaged by their mistakes. Can the siblings be successful in their mission or does Five have to do the one thing that he fears the most...?





	1. Going Through Puberty…Again

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Do not repost, plagiarize, and/or translate my content without my permission. All of my works are written by yours truly, and if I see any form of copyright infringement, I will not hesitate to take legal action. Thank you.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Excerpt: _“I’m the reason why she can’t speak anymore, and we can’t forget that I caused the absolute destruction of the world,” She sighed, “Your mission was to stop the apocalypse from happening, so do it. Kill me and save the world.”_

_ “Vanya, I love you…!” _

_ “I said, go!” _

_ “No! No! No! Allison! I didn’t mean to! I’m so sorry!” _

_ “We did it. We saved the world.” _

_ “…so much for saving the world…” _

_ “The Umbrella Academy. A total failure.” _

_ “We use my ability to time travel. But this time, I’ll take you with me…okay great…Luther, grab Vanya.” _

_ “Wait, should we be taking her?” _

_ “I mean, if she’s the cause of the apocalypse…” _

_ “…isn’t that like taking the bomb with us?” _

_ “The apocalypse will always happen, and Vanya will always be the cause, unless we take her with us and fix her…” _

A faint tired groan escaped a young girl’s voice. A throbbing sensation entered her brain as it gradually turned into this pounding motion. Her mind was just one giant cluster fuck as she couldn’t make heads or tails. Her heavy eyelids managed to pry themselves open slowly at least even though she wanted to continue sleeping; the much-needed rest would help her headache.

 As she did so, this warm, bright light greeted her as she saw the sun-rays peeking through her pink, veiled curtains. Subtly, she heard birds singing the songs of their species, and cars zooming by; a few of them honked obnoxiously as they passed by because of some impatient, angry drivers.

The exhausted young lady sat up on her bed, stretching her arms high in the air, warming up her back muscles. Without a second thought, she peeled back the covers and swung her legs over as they now dangled just a bit. Her bare feet touched the rug before shuffling her little body over her to vanity mirror. She took a seat on the chair and grabbed her brush.

With a soft smile, the girl began brushing her hair, blissfully unaware of a drastic change.

Until…

“AH!!!!!” shrieked the girl as she dropped the brush; her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Her jaw nearly fell the floor. Suddenly, her hands touched her face, noticing how young she looked. She even touched locks of her hair and noticed that she donned her hairstyle from when she was a teen.

Holy shit…her brother successfully time-traveled them back to 2002. They were now 13-year-old again.

Shooting up from her chair, the young lady shouted, calling out for someone – anyone – that could hear her. Her breathing grew sporadic. Her heart raced against her chest. Where were her siblings?

More importantly…

Where was her sister…

“Allison!” shouted a few voices as the sounds of rushing footsteps echoed throughout the corridor. Then, seconds later, a bunch of familiar faces showed up outside her room. A warm, bright smile graced her face, growing wider by the second. Tears pooled in the brim of her eyes.

Her brothers made it to the past safely, especially Luther. Allison had forgotten how incredibly handsome Luther when they were younger. This could be their second chance as well as ensuring that Vanya did not grow up to start the apocalypse.

Not everyone could get a second chance at a happy ending…

“Guys!” Allison happily greeted back, rushing up to them and pulling them all into a hug, much to Diego and Five’s dismay.

“What’s with the hug, Allison?” asked Diego, voicing his curiosity.

Allison pulled back, “I got scared that we would all be trapped in different timelines and then apocalypse would still occur.”

“Wow. Way to have faith in me, Allison.” Said Five sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he broke the hug first.

Allison mimicked his action but soon realization dawned on her face as she remembered the sole reason why Five suggested that they traveled back in time to their teenage years.

Vanya…

“Where’s Vanya?” She asked quickly; panic dripped from her voice. As soon as she asked that, realization hit all of them.

Without a moment to lose, the siblings all ran out of the room and headed towards Vanya’s bedroom.

As they inched closer and closer to her room, the siblings heard a familiar voice. One that they never dreamed of hearing ever again…

“Children! What have I told you about our scheduled mealtimes? You are to report to the dining hall at once after your dear mother rings the bell. Do you understand me?” Their father, Sir Reginald, said, lecturing them about the importance of punctuality.

Diego was the first to be annoyed. He had grown to hate his father as he matured from adolescence to adulthood. He did call Reginald a monster at his funeral for crying out loud.

Out of the corner of his eye, Luther noticed Diego’s hand ball into a fist as his body shook from anger. Oh…that couldn’t be good…

Thinking on his feet, Luther, remembering that Reginald appointed the role of “Number One” of the Umbrella Academy to him, stepped in front of his siblings and said,

“Apologies dad. We didn’t mean to wake up so incredibly late.”

Sir Reginald cocked one brow up, unimpressed with his “son’s” excuses. He didn’t want to hear them whatsoever.

“And where’s that sister, Vanya, of yours? Is she the reason behind your tardiness? I will not tolerate her becoming a bad influence on you all if that is the case.”

Now, it was Five’s turn to be angry. His gaze hardened while his jaw tightened. He looked ready to murder Reginald at any moment. How dared he call Vanya a bad influence? God…he was starting to reexperience these emotions that his true 13-year-old self had gone through just before he time-traveled to the future. This desire to protect Vanya as she had become quite special to him. How he confided in her about everything and anything, especially when he first expressed interest about time-traveling. She didn’t discourage him from doing so. She cheered him on, helping him research by looking through books that could steer him in the right direction. She would even let him hole himself up in her room while she practiced playing her violin as he told her that her music not only soothed him but gave him the much-needed focus as well.

She wasn’t this “bad influence” as Reginald had mercilessly called her. No. While, he couldn’t personally vouch for his siblings’ feelings, he could happily declare that Vanya made him want to try his hardest. All those times he had won those petty competitions, the thought of impressing Vanya fueled his desire of winning. It lit this unexplainable fire within his heart and  _ that _ was why he wound up winning. Not because he wanted to their father’s approval but because he wanted hers. He wanted her compliments. He loved seeing her eyes become so animated as if she received the best news in her entire life – when in reality – he just told her about a new aspect of his abilities that he just discovered.

She looked at him like he – personally – mattered to the world. She saw and treated him like a human being. A human being that had special abilities, but she didn’t let that define him.

Just like he never allowed the word “ordinary”to define her…

With an icy stare and scowl, Five breathed heavily, trying his hardest to keep his temper in check. The last thing they  _ all  _ needed was for Reginald to lock them up in their rooms and ban from ever meeting Vanya. That would defeat the purpose of traveling back to 2002.

No. They all needed to play it safe or at least keep their hostility towards their father to a minimum.

They just had too…

“Now. Do wake your sister up, I will not have you all ruining our morning mealtime.” Reginald demanded as he disappeared up the stairs, allowing the siblings to breathe at last.

“Has he always been a giant prick?” asked Ben, still adjusting to the fact that he was alive and kicking. Though, now he wished he was dead again because of that  _ amazing  _ encounter with dear old dad.

“Nah…he was actually be civil in that…” piped up Klaus, turning his head towards Ben.

Luther, Diego, and Allison snorted; all muttered words of agreement. Their father was indeed the worse.

“What do you think, Five? Isn’t he─?” Allison stopped mid-sentence as she watched him make his way to Vanya’s bedroom.

Luther chuckled softly, getting a little dose of déjà vu as he could’ve sworn that he saw himself heading to Allison’s room—even though her room was right next door.

“So…do you think he’s going to make a move this time around?” The leader asked, displaying a lopsided grin.

Diego snorted, “Oh, God I hope so. It was both hilarious and sickening to see him look so confused whenever it came to Vanya.”

“My favorite Five expression would be when it looks like someone told him that Vanya would never fall in love with him. You know…that one look he gets whenever we went out on missions…”

“Oh! I know what you’re talking about! It came in handy when we needed him to go all out.”

“That’s messed up, Luther.”

“Hey now. At least we completed our missions faster that way.”

“True. Very true.”

With the rest of the Hargreeves siblings chatting away, Five snuck his way in Vanya’s room the old fashion way. He could’ve just activated his spatial jumping; it would’ve been a tad quicker, but he couldn’t risk waking her up. She used a huge amount of her special ability moments prior to teleporting back in time and needed the rest.

Stepping foot inside, Five quietly closed her door behind him, careful to not slam it shut. He then shuffled softly towards her bed; his eyes focused on how peaceful she looked. How her lips remained perfectly thinned and her body still. He noticed her blanket moving along with her steady breathing.

Wow he looked like a total creeper, standing by her bed and staring at her while she slept.

Shaking himself back to reality, he slowly lowered himself, resting his entire body weight on his knees. He sighed softly as he contemplated grasping her hand and holding it in his or leave her alone. Would he wake her up if he were to hold her hand? If he were to gently caress the back of it with his thumb as he whispered words of desperation, would she appreciate it?

These adolescent feelings were new to Five. When he accidentally traveled to the future, he never had the chance to develop these so-called romantic feelings. He never got the opportunity to act like any other easily love stricken teen. That was why he fell in “love” with Dolores. He projected his unexplored adoration for Vanya onto her. The mannequin even bore the same hairstyle for fucks sake! What made his weird love for Dolores worse was when he would moan Vanya’s name while he “made love”. He didn’t picture Vanya as a teen while doing so, it was more like him moaning out the name of the person he loves.

He had loved Vanya then and now he had a terrific opportunity to make things right for them. If he were to shower with love and affection, then she would never meet that fucking asshole, Harold Jenkins, when she was older.

He was going to show her what true, genuine love was…

Mustering enough courage, Five reached out for Vanya’s limp hand and held it in his. With his free hand, he softly trailed his index on the side of her face. A content sigh emitted from her lips as Vanya’s face relaxed even more.

Five couldn’t help but smile as he watched Vanya lean towards his touch. She craved more as she lacked the needed amount of affection for a person.

“I know it’s 45 years too late…maybe even more…but I’m so sorry for leaving you Vanya…” He paused, sighing, “If I hadn’t left you the first time around, then you wouldn’t have had to face dad’s wrath alone. I would’ve been there to protect you… _ care  _ for you…show how much I loved you like any other teenager.” He raised her hand up to his lips and placed a chaste kiss on her knuckles, “I hope you forgive me one day…” He finished; his tone barely a whisper. He lips quivered slightly. His eyes red as it slowly moistened. He continued to fight back the urge to cry, allowing his hidden feelings to finally be free. Emotions that had been locked up for forty-five years and masked with sarcasm and rude thoughts.

It was finally nice to release them…even though it was only just a little…

“I forgive you Five…” He heard a whisper as he felt something squeeze his hand.

His eyes trailed down and instantly widened as he saw Vanya awake and smiling. He quickly wiped away the tears that still threatened to form and returned the smile. A rare action that only Dolores had the privilege of seeing.

Now…

It would be reserved for Vanya…only Vanya…

“You forgive me?” He questioned with his brows knitted together. He then noticed her struggling to sit up, so he placed one hand on her lower back while his other acted as an anchor for Vanya to hold onto while she pulled herself up.

“Thanks, and yes, I do forgive you. If anything, I should be asking you to forgive me, especially Allison.” Vanya stared sadly at her blanket, avoiding eye contact with him, “I’m the reason why she can’t speak anymore, and we can’t forget that I caused the absolute destruction of the world,” She sighed, “Your mission was to stop the apocalypse from happening, so do it. Kill me and save the world.” She practically pleaded as the guilt riddled her body. As the thought of killing millions of people plagued her mind over and over. Her heart pounded against her chest as her palms became clammy.

Five, on the other hand, stared at her in total disbelief. Did he hear her right? Was she seriously fucking asking him to end her life right now? Anger ignited this flame within his body. This sensation surged through his veins. He no longer thought with his 58-year-old conscience but instead, he thought like a person who became desperate—frightened.

Without thinking about it, Five grabbed Vanya’s shoulder and turned her towards him. Vanya stared at him with wide eyes. Her lips parted just a bit. Her cheeks dawned this pinkish hue. Her shy appearance was a complete contrast to Five’s look of anguish.

Now, she wished she took back what she said if it meant never seeing that pained expression on his face again.

“Do you hear yourself, Vanya?! Fucking asking me to kill you?! Are you insane?!” He scolded her, allowing his hurt to take total control of his body.

Vanya flinched at his harsh, cold tone, “I’m not…but you said this repeatedly that you need to stop the apocalypse and seeing how I’m the reason for it, you need to wipe me away from existence.”

Five scoffed. He couldn’t believe he was hearing and honestly surprised that Vanya picked  _ now  _ to be argumentative and stubborn. While, she did make valid points – points that his 58-year-old self would’ve loved and adhere to – he just couldn’t bring himself to ending her life. He might as well have had reached for his heart and stabbed it if Vanya were to no longer exist in  _ any  _ timeline.

“And I am stopping it, Vanya. Why can’t you see that?! The reason why I time-traveled  _ all  _ of us, and I do mean all of us, to this moment in time, it’s because we are going to fix you.”

“Fix me? What does that even mean?”

“It means that we’re going to treat you like someone that we love and respect. You’re just as important to the Umbrella Academy as the rest of us,” Five paused, taking a moment, “You’re special to me Vanya. You’re the only I can trust, and I hope you trust me.” He finished with a pleading expression. His eyes burned right into hers as he secretly feared what she would say to the last part of his little speech.

“I do trust you, Five, but I’m truly terrified that I’m going to become that way even if you guys do fix your mistakes. You said so yourself, the apocalypse is supposed to happen.”

Five, allowing the desperation to fuel his courage, cupped Vanya’s precious cheek; his thumb gently caressed her smooth skin.

“I will do everything in my power to ensure that that doesn’t happen.” He told her, displaying a boyish grin.

Vanya shook her head playfully, displaying a small smile.

“Why does that line sound so familiar?” She teased, remembering that he had said something similar the first time he had expressed interest in time-traveling.

Five’s eyes widened. A look of realization washed over his face as her words triggered a memory…

_ Walking down to dinner, Five and Vanya held hands, careful to make sure they were out of Reginald’s line of sight. The two had gone on to the topic of time-traveling. Vanya tried her best to talk him out of it as she feared that something horrible would go wrong and he would disappear forever. Just the mere thought of growing up without Vanya depressed her; it caused her heart to twinge in pain. _

_ Not wanting her to be upset, Five cupped her cheek, gently caressing it, “That’s not going to happen, Vanya. I have you waiting for me back here so of course, I’m going to come back. I just want to see if I can do it. Even if it’s a tiny jump in time, I just want to see.” Then, he unlaced their fingers and pulled her into a warm and loving hug, “Then, with more practice, I’ll take you with me, and we’ll be far away from here. No more siblings who bully you. No more dad that constantly berates you for being ordinary. None of them. It’s just going to be the two of us.” He told her, soothing away her worries. Though, she had a point. What if he were to get stuck in a time with no means of getting back? God. Just the mere thought of Vanya growing up without him scared him. Instilled a fear within his mind. Yet he had to push them away. He needed to do this. To try. Then, his future could officially begin. _

_ With one final squeeze, Five released his hold on special violinist. He flashed her a reassuring smile as if he’d told her not to worry about him nor say a word during dinner. _

_ Just as he turned towards the stairs, he felt a tug on his sleeve. He peered down and saw Vanya’s hand stopping him. _

_ He raised a brow, “What’s wrong?” _

_ “Promise me something.” _

_ “Anything.” _

_ “Promise me that if you were to get stuck somewhere with no means of getting back, then you’d find a way to come back to me.” _

_ Five’s breath hitched. She didn’t need to tell him that. He already knew. He’d do anything and everything to get back to her. His sole reason for even endearing the constant training and annoying siblings that he cared for here and there. _

_ “Promise me, Five.” _

_ “I promise you, Vanya Hargreeves, that I’ll do everything in my power to come back to you.” _

Five chuckled, shaking his head as the memory disappeared back to the deepest depths of his mind.

“I think I owe you yet another apology, Vanya.”

Vanya tilted her head to the side. Tiny creases formed on her forehead as confusion burned in her eyes. Why would he owe her another apology?”

Five, as if he read her mind, spoke again,

“Because…I broke my promise to you. I didn’t try my hardest to come back to you.” He silently chastised himself, angry with the fact that Reginald was right. Five wasn’t ready for time-travel…

Now, it was Vanya’s turn to cup Five’s cheek, ignoring the blush that crept on her cheeks because of her shy nature. She mimicked his earlier actions, causing the boy to blush as well.

“I like to think that you did, Five. Would you have honestly joined those people you used to work for? Would you become so crazy obsessed with stopping the apocalypse?”

Five simply shook his head unable to find his voice. His mind began mulling over Vanya’s questions.

“Well then…you didn’t break your promise to me then, Five. You managed to find a way to come back to me, and you transporting us back to the teen versions of ourselves shows that even you deserve a second chance at happiness. Though, I’m not sure Dolores is around yet…” Vanya said to him, adding a little joke near the end, causing the sadden Five to crack a smile. Well. A smirk, but it was better than him frowning.

“Why would I need Dolores when I have you, Vanya?” He flirted, winking at her.

The poor girl’s face became bright red. Her lips thinned as a faint squeal emitted from them. Five could even see Vanya’s heart race against her chest. Not that he was solely staring at her breasts but….

Just as he opened his mouth to tease her some more, a light knock penetrated the tiny silence between Five and Vanya.

Vanya, using this opportunity, granted whoever was at door permission to enter her room.

Slowly, the door swung open, revealing the rest of the Hargreeves siblings all decked out in their signature Umbrella Academy uniforms. Allison and Luther stood close together. Diego leaned against the door frame. Ben and Klaus stood in the middle while Klaus looked like his tie suffocated him.

“Did I mention how much I hated these stupid uniforms growing up?”

Allison giggled, “Well…get used to it, Klaus. We are stuck in these uniforms until we move out.”

Klaus whined but soon remembered that those awful uniforms weren’t the worst part…

“I know that look, Klaus and yes, we get to go through puberty all over again.” Five broke the shocking news to his now depressed brother.

“Oh great…well…if my door is closed, then don’t come in…”

“Gross Klaus…”

* * *

  **A/N:** And there we have it folks! The first chapter of my brand new series! What do you guys think? I'm honestly excited to begin this journey with you all! I will do my best to update this story at least **every** Saturday! That way the weekdays are reserved for my series of requests and other ideas that are about the great relationship that is Five x Vanya! Also, did you guys spot a cameo scene? ;) Comment below where you guys have read that scene before! Side note: I took some of Aidan's take on certain aspects of Five, like how he tweeted that Five would literally kill for Dolores, so I just had to work that in this and add to the confusion!

Chapter 2 is already finished/edited and now waiting to be published next week! Tomorrow, I will work on request number 6 and then chapter 3! 

Don’t forget to leave a kudos/comment on your thoughts! I love hearing them! :) 

\- Kim


	2. Adjusting to Our Teen Selves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Excerpt: _"...After all, I…” He stopped, unsure if now would be the time to confess that he used to have a crush on her and that those dormant romantic feelings slowly surfaced again._  
>  _Vanya raised her brow, “You…?”_  
>  _Five bit the inside of his cheek, “I just want to have that close bond with you again. That’s all.” He half-lied, forcing a tiny smile."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Do not repost, plagiarize, and/or translate my content without my permission. All of my works are written by yours truly, and if I see any form of copyright infringement, I will not hesitate to take legal action. Thank you.

_Previously_

_Slowly, the door swung open, revealing the rest of the Hargreeves siblings all decked out in their signature Umbrella Academy uniforms. Allison and Luther stood close together. Diego leaned against the door frame. Ben and Klaus stood in the middle while Klaus looked like he was being suffocated by his tie._

_“Did I mention how much I hated these stupid uniforms growing up?”_

_Allison giggled, “Well…get used to it, Klaus. We are stuck in these uniforms until we move out.”_

_Klaus whined but soon remembered that those awful uniforms weren’t the worst part…_

_“I know that look, Klaus and yes, we get to go through puberty all over again.” Five broke the shocking news to his now depressed brother._

_“Oh great…well, if my door is closed, then don’t come in…”_

_“Gross Klaus…”_

Letting out a long, exasperated sigh, Vanya glanced at herself in the bathroom mirror. She focused on how she looked in her uniform; a certain outfit that she never thought – in a million years – she would wear again. It also took some adjusting getting used to having long hair and bangs again. As a teenager, she had grown out her hair and bangs and once she was an adult, she cut it short. She didn’t want anything, whether it be her own hair or a piece of clothing, to remind her of the horrific abuse she endured while she lived at that manor.

And now…

Here she was…

Donning the same clothes and hair as the suppressed memories slowly came flooding back. She just couldn’t escape them no matter how hard she tried.

“I guess those pills were a blessing in disguise…they made me forget…” She muttered, fixing her tie, completely unaware that there was a second reflection in the mirror.

“Make you forget what?” Vanya nearly jumped in place as she let out a tiny shriek. She clutched her heart as her eyes landed on the second reflection.

“You really do have a knack of freaking me out. Huh, Five?” She questioned, calming her speeding heart.

Five chuckled softly as he stuffed his hands inside the pockets of his shorts. Guess somethings didn’t change…

“Sorry. I just got worried since it’s been almost an hour since you said that you were just going to pop into the bathroom to make sure your appearance would please dad.” He shrugged, leaning against the door frame. His hands were inside the pockets of his shorts; forever his go-to habit.

Vanya smiled wanly; her gaze drifted to the side. She remained silent, causing this quizzical expression to appear on Five’s face. Earlier, she had so much to say and now, nothing. Not a peep from her. Did he accidentally say something that could trigger her emotions to close again? Something that made her want to lock up her insecurities and worries?

If that was the case, then he needed to do something and quick. He had already left her alone once before. Alone with her thoughts and pain that their siblings and dad had caused. Drops of tears that had been shed because of them when they weren’t worthy of them at all. Just the mere thought of her crying her eyes out caused this tightness in his chest. It felt that someone squeezed it here and there just for the laughs. It felt foreign to him as he never once experienced this with Dolores, his one and only companion of thirty years. With Dolores, he would kill for her as she had been the most important person to him. He had _loved_ her for fuck’s sake.

And yet…here was Vanya—right in front of him as she easily rekindled those dormant emotions of absolute love and adoration. Parts of him found it terrifying that Vanya would replace Dolores as his companion for life, but the other half didn’t seem to mind it. If anything, that side welcomed it with open arms. For him to be able to hug someone and then have it returned, just the mere thought of it excited him deeply. His lips tingle from the thought of kissing someone and feel something soft.

All these scenarios – his mind conjured up – revved him up; excited him, and he couldn’t wait until to start that journey—with Vanya.

And only Vanya…

Taking a cautious step towards her, Five closed the gap between their bodies. He stood behind her, analyzing her body language, before gently placing a warm hand on her shoulder.

“Look…I know that I haven’t been a good brother to you, especially when we were this age the first time. I had only come to you when I needed something or someone but dismissed you when the whole wanting to time-travel preoccupied my mind. You needed someone to talk, and I just ignored you until it was convenient for me to have you by my side. In short, I was and still am a little shit…” He sighed, uttering a quick prayer that she would at least allow him to be near her. They didn’t have to talk about anything she wasn’t ready to confess. He just wanted to remain by her side. “So, I would like to make it up to you. I don’t know how yet, but I will make it up to you Vanya Hargreeves. After all, I…” He stopped, unsure if now would be the time to confess that he used to have a crush on her and that those dormant romantic feelings slowly surfaced again.

Vanya raised her brow, “You…?”

Five bit the inside of his cheek, “I just want to have that close bond with you again. That’s all.” He half-lied, forcing a tiny smile.

Vanya’s mouth formed a tiny “o” as she nodded her head.

“Well, I hope we can be close again.” She said as the two heard the breakfast bell ring again, except with more vigor.

Yup…

Reginald had become frustrated…

Great…

“We should go. We don’t want to keep dear old dad waiting.”

Now sitting at the famous dining table, the siblings stared at one another; tensions were at extremely high. Emotions were strong as every single one of them remember the shitty things their dad had done to them. From pitting them against each other to specialize training that left each Hargreeves child emotionally scarred.

They strongly desired to just kill him and then move on with their lives but unfortunately…they needed him around. While his methods were questionable, they brought results. Diego wouldn’t had been able to throw multiple knives; all consistent in their speed and strength. Luther wouldn’t had been able to learn self-control when it came to use super-strength. The young lad had lost count of how many times he had accidentally killed an assailant because of his strength. Reginald had reprimanded him countless of times when he clearly instructed Luther to only knock out the perpetrator.

So…they guessed they owe their advanced skills to Reginald…

“You may eat.” Their dad granted permission as he picked up his own fork and knife. Soon, the siblings followed suit; all the time silently ate, remembering his rule about no talking during mealtimes. One of the many rules they did _not_ miss whatsoever.

Vanya picked at her scrambled eggs, pushing it back and forth. Five and Ben noticed and gave each other a knowing glance.

Five, unafraid of Reginald, leaned slightly towards Vanya and whispered,

“Do you want something else? I can give you some of my fruit if that’s what you want.”

“I said, no talking during mealtimes!” Five heard Reginald shout, alarming the rest of the siblings. Their bodies tensed not because of how agitated he sounded but because of how Five would react. They knew he was already this ticking time bomb because of his “old” age, but it appeared to have worsened after learning Vanya would be the reason for the apocalypse. They all knew that he had a crush on the violinist they called, “sister”, when they were younger. Well…the first time they were teens…but anyway…

They weren’t blind. While, he ignored all of them equally, there were moments where he had visited her and spend a few hours with her. It was clear that he enjoyed and preferred her company above anyone else when they were younger, and that statement still held true.

Even now, after everything that had occurred, Five would choose saving Vanya over everyone else. Which was quite funny to them as he was willing to kill her to save billions of people.

Love was truly a powerful emotion…

“Technically, I wasn’t talking. I was whispering.” Five argued, faking a smile, “And I just asking Vanya if she wanted my fruit since she doesn’t seem to please to be eating her scrambled eggs.” He kindly explained, oblivious to Vanya shaking her head. Fear glazed her eyes as she felt a familiar emotion. The same scared…frightened…terrified emotion that she felt the day Five ran out of the manor and disappeared for seventeen years.

She prayed – with all her heart – that he wouldn’t leave again…

“And I thought I told _all_ of you guys to not interact with her. She’s just ordinary, and you all need to remain focus on your training.” Now Reginald had angered all the siblings, mostly Allison, Klaus, and Diego. She was not ordinary. She had powers, but they had been suppressed because of Reginald’s fear.

“We can talk and hang out with Vanya and still be able to focus on our training.” Allison piped up, throwing in her support.

Reginald, shocked by another one of his children’s outbursts but quickly masked it, looked at each of them with a harsh glare.

“I will not have you guys disobeying the rules I have carefully placed for you. Now, this will be the last time we will discuss this. You are to not speak nor enjoy your sister’s company ever. Do you understand me?” He ordered; his tone as cold as ice.

Everyone, minus Five, hung their head low and uttered a quick, “yes, father”. They obeyed their father quickly as – again – they didn’t want to leave Vanya alone. Now, they just needed Five to follow Reginald’s rules.

But knowing him…he wouldn’t and would fight Reginald on it.

Fuck…

“No. I don’t understand as to why you want us to separate ourselves from Vanya. So, the fuck what she’s ordinary? Why should that call for us isolating her and pretending that she doesn’t exist. What purpose does it serve?!” Five raised his voice as he stabbed his fork in the table; his jaw clenched. His eyes burned with rage.

“Enough! Breakfast is hereby over! You will all change into your training attire and meet me in the practice room at once!” Reginald yelled, ordering his little soldiers. Each sibling begrudgingly, apart from Five, stood up from their seats and headed towards their respective bedroom. Five, angrily shot up from his chair, causing it to topple over, and stomped over to his room practically seething.

Reginald glanced at Vanya, giving her a silent warning, before disappearing to his study.

Now alone at the table, Vanya let out a long, depressed sigh.

“Five…what are you doing…?” She questioned; her voice softened as a haunted expression graced her face.

Her worst fears were bound come true again…

She slowly stood up from her chair and quietly pushed it in. She shuffled her feet towards the foyer. Her mother, Grace, noticed Vanya’s tired appearance and asked if she was okay.

Vanya forced a smile, “Yeah mom. I’m fine. I’m just not feeling well. That’s all.”

Grace, now alerted as her medical training feature activated, walked up to her daughter and pressed a hand against Vanya’s forehead, feeling for any signs of a temperature. A faint hum escaped her lips as Grace patiently waited for the results. Then, a few seconds later, she removed her hand. Her internal software informed her that Vanya’s body temperature was normal. No signs of the flu could be seen.

“Thankfully, you do not have a fever; however, I did notice that you hardly touched your plate. Would you like me to make you some porridge and pour you a nice glass of orange juice? I can bring it up to your room?”

“No, thank you, mom.  Maybe I just need to rest.”

“Rest is indeed the perfect medicine for any ailing body, and if you can’t go to sleep right away, might I recommend you playing your violin? I do know that it will bring you the utmost joy and relaxation.”

Vanya smiled softly; she had forgotten how motherly Grace was during this time. A quality that Vanya had desperately missed when she was older.

“I’ll think about it, mom...” Vanya muttered, though deep down, she wasn’t going to touch it. Not after knowing what she had done to Allison with her beloved instrument. She couldn’t even look at it without being bombarded by those horrific images of herself, as an adult, screaming at Allison before slitting her sister’s throat. The image of the blood flowing out of Allison’s neck haunted her dreams. How the actress’ white blouse stained with red as she clutched her neck, hoping the pressure would help stop the blood.

Vanya almost vomited as she felt incredibly sick with herself.

She just couldn’t escape the guilt…

“I’m going to my room now and lie down for a bit.”

“Okay sweetie. I’ll cook up some porridge and orange juice as your meal for lunch.”

Meanwhile, back with the siblings, all of them eagerly awaited their father’s arrival. Desperate to get this stupid practice over with. They had long forgotten how their father would pit them against each other. How he would emphasize that it was every man for themselves. It was all about survival of the fittest. Only the strongest would come out on top.

This was a competition, and whoever won would win Reginald’s favor for the day. A feeling of pride that every one of them were starved for. They craved his approval. It was the only thing that kept them alive while they trained from sunrise to sundown.

They needed it…

“Nicely done, Five…” Allison quipped as she and Luther leaned against the wall while Five tied his shoes.

Five, rolled his eyes, standing up once his shoelaces were tied tightly. He quickly stretched his arms before answering Allison’s snide comment.

“Like you could’ve done any better?” He snapped, giving her a scornful glare.

Allison scoffed, “Actually, I could’ve. After all, daddy dearest favors Luther, Diego, and I as we told the titles of Number One, Two, and Three. We are his top three soldiers, so I’m sure he would’ve listened to me about wanting to spend time with Vanya.”

Now, it was Five’s turn to scoff. Her argument was almost laughable in his book.

“Please. I have killed so many people more than all three of you guys combine,” He turned his back towards her, “So, excuse me if I don’t find you at all threatening to me.” He waved her argument off as he stalked over to where Klaus and Ben were.

Shortly, Diego joined Allison and Luther as all three of them eyed Five strangely.

“Is it just me or has Five gotten a little antsier since we arrived back in 2002?” asked Diego, observing Five’s tense body language.

Allison snorted, “A little would be an understatement.”

“He’s really determined to fix Vanya, huh?” said Luther as the trio now watched the time-traveling assassin pace back and forth, while Klaus and Bend tried their hardest to soothe the boy’s anger.

“Well, he’s in love with her, so yeah. He’s extremely determined to fix her and save the world from the apocalypse.” Allison replied just as Reginald walked inside the room with Grace and Pogo trailing behind him.

“…ah well…keep me updated on Vanya’s condition. I would like to not conduct races amongst her siblings on my own. She’s vital to the training regimen as my assistant seeing how she doesn’t have any special abilities that could contribute to the others.” The siblings heard Reginald said in a hushed whisper. “But apparently, she can’t _even_ be a simple assistant…” He added, sighing as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Each of the Hargreeves siblings’ jaw tightened as their hands balled into a fist. This sudden urge to protect Vanya from their father’s cruel words settled within the deepest depths of their heart. While, they themselves had endured Reginald’s mental abuse, at least they had each other growing up. But Vanya? She had no one. Nobody she could share her burdens with. Nothing she could do to vent it out of her system.

Emptiness…

An endless hole of depressing thoughts that continued to consume her as she grew into adulthood.

But that was going to change…

They were a family. They would forever have each other’s backs. Come in with an endless amount of support if one of them had their backs against the wall.

They would gladly give one another inner strength to keep pushing…to never give up…

“Children, time to practice!” Reginald instructed, having Pogo blow a whistle. The moment the children heard the whistle, they all sprung into action as if their bodies remembered what to do. Their faces etched with determination as this fiery passion surged throughout their veins.

Well…except for Five… of course…

He had other plans…

“Number Five! Why are you just standing there?! Start training like the others!” Reginald barked, already fed up with Five’s defiance.

Five cocked his head to the side as he clicked his tongue.

“Gee. I would love to, but I have someone to check up on.” He said before activating his spatial jumping and disappearing from everyone’s sight.

Reginald seethed, narrowing his eyes on the other siblings as if he silently told them to not even think about following their brother’s footsteps.

Allison and the others all looked at each other with a knowing expression. They all unanimously agreed to visit Vanya before lunchtime.

“Children, focus!” They heard Reginald order; his voice already laced with anger and frustration.

He didn’t need the rest of his kids defying him…

_“You did this to me…? You knew that I had powers…!”_

_“No, no! I didn’t really understand until I came today, until I saw it.”_

_“Well, now it makes sense. This is why you never wanted me around.”_

_“You couldn’t risk me threatening your place in the house, your – your dominance.”_

_“No. That is not true!”_

_“You couldn’t handle the fact that dad might find me special!”_

_“You are special, with or without powers!”_

_“Don’t – don’t say that!”_

Those words echoed throughout her dark mind. Vanya suddenly gasped for air as she swiftly sat up from her bed, clutching her chest. Tiny trickles of sweat cascaded down the sides of her face. Her heart pounded against her chest. Her breathing was sporadic—uncontrollable.

That specific moment repeated endlessly. That horrific image of Allison bleeding to death on the floor as Vanya sobbed, begging – pleading – for Allison to stay alive.

Slowly, tears pooled in the brim of her eyes as Vanya agonized over that memory, desperate for someone to relieve her from that punishment. Prayed that someone would make her forget that horrendous damage that she had caused to everyone and everything around her.

She was this ticking time bomb waiting to be set off…

She wanted to be free from all this heavy guilt that only suffocated her…

Vanya glanced around her quiet room, staring absentmindedly at the blank, dull ceiling. Tears cascaded down, landing on her pillow. Her hair sprawled all over the soft surface as she allowed the dark thoughts to consume her once more. Then, her eyes trailed down, eyeing her blanket as she grabbed it and pulled it over her head.

Only darkness greeted her…

Then, a knock penetrated her thoughts.

“Vanya?” called out the person, causing the distressed girl to uncover her head. Vanya eyed the door, wondering why Five would be right outside. He should be in his morning training session with the other siblings.

“Go away, Five…!” She shouted, wanting to be alone. But Five didn’t take the hint. The second he heard that, he chuckled softly as he shook his head. Then, he teleported himself inside Vanya’s room, not giving a damn whether she was decent or not.

She _needed_ him, even if she – herself – didn’t know it yet…

Five landed in the middle of the room but mostly close to Vanya’s bed. The second he entered it, he heard something that he didn’t even prepare for.

Vanya’s tears…

Hearing tiny sniffles caused Five’s heart to ache a little but of course, he easily masked it. He couldn’t just lay his feelings out there quite yet…

“I know you teleported in here, Five. So kindly teleport yourself out of here.” He heard her say through choked sobs.

Even while she cried, she still had enough spunk to make him smile.

“You have to try much harder than that if you want to get rid of me, Vanya.” He stated as he took a seat on the edge of the bed but careful to not sit on any body parts.

Vanya made a noise as she slowly uncovered herself. Her empty stare penetrated his, observing this concern gaze that he donned. Wait? Five showed genuine concern for her? That was highly unlikely…

“Honestly…what do you want, Five? I already said what I wanted to say to you.”

“I don’t believe that you did say everything that you wanted to say to me.”

“Oh? Because you’re so fucking smart and know everything about me?”

Five winced slightly. He deserved that because she was right. He didn’t know everything about her. Not anymore at least… He didn’t know the amount of times Vanya pleaded for him to come back. He didn’t know the amount of time she had made him peanut butter and marshmallows sandwiches. He especially didn’t know that she had left the lights on for him, fearing that he would leave again because he couldn’t find her and the rest of his dysfunctional family.

He…didn’t…know…her…at…all…

But…

He would change that…

This was his second chance.

Carefully, Five scooted closer to Vanya. His eyes burned with absolute adoration for her. He cared for her, so it was time that he showed it. Even if it was something small, it was a good start.

“You’re right. I don’t know you at all but since we have a second chance, I would like to get to know you.” His words slowly soothed away Vanya’s sadness—or at least he hoped it would.

Vanya hesitated and confused. This was the second time he had mentioned something about getting to know her. And the way he looked at her made her feel something strange. It made her heart flutter just a little bit. It almost made her a loss for words since from her memory of the two of them growing up, Five was never this…caring to her. He smiled a tad more around her. His eyes would have these gleams in them. Oh, she couldn’t forget about how attentive and protective he was this morning when Reginald prohibited them from talking and hanging out with her.

She had never seen Five so angry like that. He looked ready to take his butter knife and stab Reginald in the throat.

Like…

What had gotten into him…?

Just as Vanya opened her mouth to question Five’s motives, allowing the curiosity to control her, the two heard a knock on the door. Like before, Vanya quickly granted whoever it was access. She got lucky yet again as the timing of the person saved her from being nosy and more than likely hurt Five’s feelings as she would’ve questioned if he had ulterior motives or not.

Little did she know…he did… But it wasn’t in a sense of him scheming. No. It was for something that would one day benefit them. He just hoped he wouldn’t have to wait almost forty-fives years for that day to come…

Slowly, the door opened, revealing Allison, Luther, and the rest of the gang in their training attire still. The second Vanya saw Allison, the poor girl busted into tears again. The guilt still lingered enough for it to devour her whole; a contrast from when Vanya first saw Allison again.

“I’m so sorry, Allison! I didn’t mean to!” The violinist cried.

“It’s not your fault, Vanya. It was mine,” Allison rushed over to Vanya and pulled her into a hug briefly, “I shouldn’t have even thought to rumor you when you were in that state. I escalated the situation, and I hope you will forgive me.” She explained herself, reassuring Vanya and lifting off any guilt that she held onto.

Then, Luther stepped up, standing behind Allison. Forever protective of her.

“And me too…instead of locking you up and banning the others from opening the door up, I should’ve been more reasonable. It was because of you being alone with your inner demons that things turned out the way it did.” He added, apologizing in his own way.

Klaus, noticing that the atmosphere was incredibly heavy and serious, said something to make everyone laugh but still shift the blame on to someone who was the reason for everything. Their father.

“Well, if you want to get technical, it was our dad’s fault that we ended up being a bunch of screw ups. He emotionally manipulated all of us by making us believe that Vanya didn’t harvest any powers and then banned us from coming into contact with her.” Klaus gave everyone a knowing smile, causing the rest of the siblings to chuckle as they shake their head.

“Why don’t we just blame dad for everything that goes wrong with our lives and call it a day.” Diego grinned widely, chuckling here and there.

Klaus and the rest laughed at his statement just as they heard the bell, signaling them it was time for lunch.

One by one, they exited Vanya’s room and just as Five walked out with Vanya next to him, Allison stopped him. He eyed her strangely as he raised a brow. He quickly asked her what she wanted as he flashed a reassuring smile at Vanya.

“I need to talk to you.” Allison said with a serious expression.

Five nodded before telling Vanya to go ahead without him. Once she was out of earshot, Allison spoke again.

“I believe dad is suppressing her abilities with those pills, disguising them as vitamins or some stupid shit like that. I remember him asking me to rumor Vanya when we were four-years-old and just before I did that, I noticed her popping something in her mouth and downing it with water.”

This look of complete and utter fury washed over the boy’s face. It was bad enough that Reginald emotionally abused her, but to have Allison rumor Vanya and then have her take medicine to suppress her abilities just takes the fucking cake.

The more Five hears these revelations, the more he was glad that the old man was dead in 2019. He fucking deserved it…

“We need to get rid of those pills. That way, we can help Vanya learn how to control it and use it. The reason why she became so destructive was because her lack of self-control. She allowed it to control her.” Five agreed, “Do you remember what the bottle looked like?”

Allison nodded, “Yeah but vaguely. I remember seeing an empty yellow bottle on the counter in Vanya’s apartment.”

“Good. Let’s meet up after curfew and once the old man is asleep. I don’t want Vanya taking these pills anymore.”

“Agreed.”

The two of them smiled at each other, pleased to know that they were on the same wavelength when it came to Vanya. And as Five moved to brush by Allison, she stopped him again.

“What?” He asked, raising a brow. He wanted to get some food in his stomach and make sure that Vanya actually ate something.

“Once this is all over…please take care of Vanya.”

“You don’t need to tell me twice…I will make sure that she doesn’t grow up alone and starved for affection. She will know what genuine love actually is. Not that abusive bullshit that Harold pulled on her.”

“Thank you, Five…”

Later that night, as the Hargreeves children finished getting ready for bed in their respective rooms, Vanya pulled back her covers and got underneath it. She put her hair in a ponytail and then remained sitting. She stared blankly at the comforter as her mind became flooded with those depressing thoughts. Vanya had genuinely thought that once she earned Allison’s forgiveness, her guilt would vanish.

Apparently not…

“Goodnight Vanya…” She heard someone say softly, pulling her out of the dark storm that entered her mind. She looked up and saw Five leaning against her door frame.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Would you mind sleeping next to me? I’m afraid to be alone right now.”

Five’s eyes widened. His brows perked up. A faint reddish hue crept on his cheeks. Not even Dolores made him blush so easily.

“I don’t mind. I’ll pop in once the old man is asleep and I do my quick little errand.” He smiled warmly at her, glancing quickly at the clock. He had two hours before he had to meet up with Allison to look for those damn pills that caused Vanya’s powers to go haywire.

Vanya returned the smile, uttering a quick, “okay”. She then pulled the covers over her as she laid down, welcoming the comforting feeling from her pillow.

Seeing her look finally relaxed and comfortable made Five less worried. Vanya looked exhausted and hardly ate anything during their mealtimes, so that alerted Five. He even came close to feeding her himself. That was how bad it was…

“Okay. Try to relax. I’ll come join you in a few hours and then the two of us can get some much-needed shut eye.”

“Alright, Five. And thank you. Honestly.”

“You never have to thank me Vanya. I’ll gladly do anything for you.”

“Even murder?”

“Especially murder.”

“You are so weird…”

* * *

**A/N:** I am back with a new update! Was it worth the wait? I kind of liked writing this chapter because I got the chance to dive more into the broken sibling bond between the Hargreeves and have them step into the right direction of mending it, especially when it comes to their relationship with Vanya. Also, can we highlight Vanya's guilt? I loved how Ellen Page portrayed how distressed Vanya was over it in episode 9 and how desperate she was to apologize to Allison, especially after seeing her alive but with a bandage over her neck. Oscar nominee worthy acting right there. I felt the desperation and wanting to make things right with Allison, so I'm excited to write more of that in later chapters as they slowly mend their dysfunctional relationship. Side note: kudos to Luther for apologizing and owning up to his mistake of locking Vanya up. I hope that actually happens in Season 2 (still waiting for that official confirmation as it is just rumors right now. Right now, it is rumored that filming for Season 2 will begin in May, but there is no official word from Netflix, so I don't fully believe it.). 

Updates are every  **Saturday**! And updates for  _I'm Your Music_ are **whenever I finish the requests**! Please be patient with me, especially those to who requested a little something something from me! I work during the weekdays and depending if I'm mentally drained or not, I'll at least start the request! :)  Currently in the middle of request number 7 (?) and will more than likely finish it sometime this afternoon and publish tonight or tomorrow morning before I go to work! :)

Don’t forget to leave a kudos/comment on your thoughts! I love hearing them! :) 

\- Kim

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Side note: please refrain from commenting ideas/suggestions that have nothing to do with this story. While, I do love your comments, it can get a tad discouraging if you write something that has nothing to do with this story I'm working hard on for you guys. I hope you guys understand! :)


	3. Training Time with Vanya

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Excerpt: _“Focus on my heartbeat and then direct that energy to that glass vase in the right-side corner.”_  
>  _Vanya froze. Fear washed over her body, slamming into it like a huge wave. Was it seriously wise for her to try and use her abilities? She destroyed the fucking moon for fuck’s sake!_  
>  _“I-I can’t. I don’t want to destroy the manor again.” She firmly rejected the idea, allowing the fear to swallow her whole._  
>  _“You won’t.” Five gently took Vanya’s hand, giving a reassuring squeeze. “We trust you. We know that you would never intentionally harm us.” He then placed her hand over his heart._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Do not repost, plagiarize, and/or translate my content without my permission. All of my works are written by yours truly, and if I see any form of copyright infringement, I will not hesitate to take legal action. Thank you.

_Previously_

_“Would you mind sleeping next to me? I’m afraid to be alone right now.”_

_Five’s eyes widened. His brows perked up. A faint reddish hue crept on his cheeks. Not even Dolores made him blush so easily._

_“I don’t mind. I’ll pop in once the old man is asleep and I do my quick little errand.” He smiled warmly at her, glancing quickly at the clock. He had two hours before he had to meet up with Allison to look for those damn pills that caused Vanya’s powers to go haywire._

_Vanya returned the smile, uttering a quick, “okay”. She then pulled the covers over her as she laid down, welcoming the comforting feeling from her pillow._

_Seeing her look finally relaxed and comfortable made Five less worried. Vanya looked exhausted and hardly ate anything during their mealtimes, so that alerted Five. He even came close to feeding her himself. That was how bad it was…_

_“Okay. Try and relax. I’ll come join you in a few hours and then the two of us can get some much-needed shut eye.”_

_“Alright, Five. And thank you. Honestly.”_

_“You never have to thank me Vanya. I’ll gladly do anything for you.”_

_“Even murder?”_

_“Especially murder.”_

_“You are so weird…”_

Slowly, his eyes opened. A bright light penetrated his tired gaze, blinding the poor boy. A faint, displeased groan escaped his lips as the exhausted teenage boy sat up. He stretched his arms, warming up his relaxed muscles. The boy glanced around the room; his mind seconds later registered that he was no longer in a special someone’s room—Vanya’s room.

A small smile graced his lips as he fondly recalled how nice – how comforting – it was to sleep next to someone who’s skin didn’t feel hard and cold. It felt soft, and the warmth that radiated from Vanya’s precious skin? God, He could get used to sleeping next to her, holding her as the two drift off into the dream world where no nightmares plagued their tired minds.

Honestly, he had long forgotten what it was to fall asleep without the lingering paranoia that someone could slit his throat in the middle of the night. While, he was indeed alone during the apocalypse, his mind played tricks on his psyche to the point that he had his sniper rifle close by just in case.

God…why didn’t he listen to his dad? Why did he allow his pride to get in the way of his rational thought?

Oh. It was because he was this cocky little shit.

And because of that…

Vanya grew up to be the person she was today…

Taking those damn pills that repressed her emotions that ultimately caused the string of events that happened…

“Okay. Let’s hurry this up.”

“Why, Five? You got somewhere to be?”

Five narrowed his eyes onto the girl, “That’s none of your business, Allison.”

Allison held up her hands in surrender, “I was just wondering. No need to bite my head off.” She slowly lowered them, watching Five’s tense body, “Besides…I have an inkling that the reason why you’re so anxious and impatient is because of Vanya.” She pointed out with a teasing gleam in her eyes.

Five’s nearly froze but quickly masked it. He didn’t need his nosy sister butting in something that didn’t concern her.

Anything related to Vanya wasn’t anyone’s business but his own. However, after seeing how Allison cradled Vanya’s unconscious body, practically relieved that her dear sister was still alive, Five would make a small exception.

For Luther and the rest of the fellas, they’d have to convince Five why they should be allowed near Vanya. While, yes, the time-traveling former hitman had suggested that they all take part in fixing her, he still couldn’t quite rely on them. She had written a book, exposing the Hargreeves family secrets, and that caused a bigger rift among them. Five knew that they hadn’t quite forgave her for what she had said about them, but it seemed like they were willing to take that step towards the right direction.

They needed to if they wanted to permanently prevent the apocalypse from happening…

Standing near the stairs, Allison and Five patiently waited. They listened for any echoing footsteps, though, it was impossible as it was a quarter past midnight. With their prior knowledge, they knew that their old man would go to sleep around midnight after conducting his nightly tests.

“How did you know that…?” whispered Allison, a little weirded out that Five knew Reginald’s sleeping schedule. Who would even go out of their way to figure that out? Then, it hit her. This was Five she was talking about… That boy would do anything and everything to get what he wanted. “Never mind. Don’t even answer that.” She quickly added, redirecting her attention on to the stairs.

Five snorted as he continued listening for any signs that someone, other than themselves, was still awake. The two of them listened for a few more minutes and once they were again greeted with soft snores from their siblings to eerie silence, they quietly walked up the stairs. They were careful of not causing any loud creaks in the wooden floors as they slowly made their way to the second-floor hallway.

With heavy breaths and pounding hearts, the two teenagers stood in the foyer, glancing in all directions. Their minds bombarded with thoughts as neither Allison nor Five had a flipping clue where Reginald would stash Vanya’s pills.

The anxious boy swiftly turned his head, looking at Allison.

“Did Vanya tell you anything that could act like a possible clue?” asked Five, annoyed with this minor setback.

Allison shook her head; her mind flooded with memories from her encounters with the violinist. Moments that ranged from them grabbing drinks, talking about their love life or lack of one, to arguing about Harold Jenkins. The girl’s brows knitted together; tiny creases formed on her forehead as she focused on a specific memory. Allison, as her adult self, stood in the middle of Vanya’s apartment, while Vanya, herself, frantically searched for something. Wait. Bingo!

“While I don’t remember Vanya mentioning anything about where dad kept her pills, I do know what the pill bottle looks like.” She stated, keeping that specific memory in her mind, repeating it until the shape and color became embedded into her brain.

Five, pleased with what he heard, quickly asked her what the bottle looked like.

“Um. It was yellow, small, skinny in width, and had a white cap on it.” She answered, almost certain of her answer.

Five nodded, surveying the different rooms and directions that he and Allison could take.

“Well, if I know dad, he wouldn’t hide Vanya’s pills that were painfully obvious.” His eyes slowly homed in on to the kitchen, having recalled that Grace always gave Vanya her “vitamins” during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He then pointed towards it, “Let’s try the kitchen and dining room.” He suggested, taking a step towards that direction.

Allison raised her brow, questioning his idea but soon dropped it. His suggestions were better than nothing, and she honestly had no more energy to argue with the headstrong boy. She quietly trailed behind him, closing the gap enough for her to walk beside him.

The two sneaky teens peeked their heads around the corner, making sure the coast was clear. They gave each other a silent, “okay”, before sneaking into the kitchen and dining room area. Five suggested that they split as they’d cover much more ground that way. He volunteered to search the kitchen, leaving the Allison to look around the dining room. He then activated his spatial jumping ability, teleporting into the middle of the kitchen. Allison’s pressed her lips together; she couldn’t help but blink a few times as her mind tried to wrap around the fact that he could’ve just walked a few measly steps. The kitchen was literally the next room over.

She let out an exasperated sigh, shaking her head.

“Whatever…” She mumbled, walking over to the first of many cabinets in search of those damn pills. She quickly opened it up and reached inside, standing on the tips of her toes. She pushed things aside, praying that she’d easily find them. Alas, it was a bust. Then, she moved onto the next cabinet…and the next cabinet…and the next cabinet…

All of them ended with the same result.

Nothing.

Nada.

No sign of those pills…

As she let out a frustrated groan, Five walked out of the kitchen. He too felt the annoyance of failing.

If it wasn’t in either the kitchen or the dining room, then where did that smart old man hide them?

Then, the realization hit them like a ton of bricks. That damn father of theirs seriously hid those fucking pills in the medical bay.

Five scoffed a few times; a look and feeling of disbelief soon replaced his current emotion. He blinked a few times as he couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that Reginald had outsmarted him.

And he was fucking sound asleep…!

Not wanting to waste another minute, as the two of them felt the heavy fatigue, Five used up his last remaining strength and teleported to the medical bay. Allison, on the other hand, shuffled behind as she found it a bit amusing that in the span of thirty minutes, they went from being kind of wide awake to downright exhausted. She wanted to be in her bed. All snuggled up underneath the covers as her eyelids fluttered shut. Then, she would easily enter the dreamworld and enjoy whatever dream came to play for that night’s sleep.

“Okay Allison…you’re almost there…” She silently pumped herself, gathering the last remaining strength that she desperately needed. She trekked up the stairs, closing the distance between her and the medical room. She kept chanting, “almost there”, repeatedly until she finally stepped foot inside.

Just as she did, Allison came face-to-face with one giant mess. It looked like a tornado went through the medical room with the amount of open cabinet drawers were seen. Papers were carelessly tossed onto the floor while a few chairs were toppled over. Sounds of shuffling and profanities were heard as Allison redirected her gaze onto the source.

Low and behold, there was Five frantically searching through two drawers at once. He nearly slammed them close but stopped himself. He already had made enough ruckus to awaken someone. He didn’t need another person catching them.

Cautiously, Allison maneuvered through the mess, stepping over the papers, as she closed the distance between her and Five.

“Nothing?” She questioned, glancing around.

“No…!” He whispered roughly, desperately wanting to shout, allowing his frustrations to leave his body.

Allison sighed, “Well, direct me where I should look.”

Five pointed to left, unbothered to verbally answer her. He needed to find Vanya’s medicine, and he needed to find them right now. His ears picked up the sound of Allison’s footsteps fading. Then, it was soon replaced with the sounds of drawers and doors being open.

Not even minutes later, the impatient and annoyed boy heard,

“Gotcha!”

He instantly rushed over to his sister’s side, glancing over her shoulder. His eyes went wide as this heavy weight – on his chest – was lifted off. Allison successfully found Vanya’s pills.

Without thinking, Five reached out for them and grabbed them. He examined the medicine bottle; his brows furrowed together. He muttered a word or two as he read the label on it.

Slowly, his intelligent brain pieced everything together. That would explain why Vanya was locked away when they were only four-year-old. Not because she was fucking sick but because Reginald wanted to keep an eye on her as she began her “treatment”. He wanted to make sure that those emotion suppressing pills worked.

No emotions equaled no abilities.

Then, as for added measure, that damn prick ordered Allison to use her ability on Vanya, manipulating her into thinking that she was nothing special. She was just ordinary.

Damn him. Damn him to fucking Hell…

“I can’t believe dad actually hid these in a place that is the most obvious…”

“He probably did it because we would know that it was too obvious and not be bothered to look…”

Five pocketed the pills just as Allison asked him what he’d do with them. As Five opened his mouth to answer, they heard footsteps approaching.

Their bodies froze as this look of complete and utter dread washed over their faces. Second by second, the footsteps neared the room. Five and Allison mentally prepared themselves for another good old lecture. Suddenly, a shadowy figure appeared in the doorway.

“Children! What are you doing out of bed?” asked the voice. Wait…that was definitely not their father’s…

“Pogo?” questioned both Allison and Five.

Their father’s most-trusted assistant raised his hand, unbothered to hear whatever excuse they had to say.

“Not another word. You know it is against the rules to be out of bed past curfew. Now, go to bed before your father catches you.” He instructed before turning away and leaving.

A breath of relief escaped their lips the moment Pogo was no longer in sight.

Allison looked at Five, “He’s right. Let’s go before dad catches us this time.”

Five nodded as the two of them ventured back to their rooms, feeling proud with their little accomplishment. While, yes, it was small, but it meant a step in the right path.

Vanya would be fixed and genuinely happy. Free to use her abilities without worry of being consumed by it.

She’d learn how to control them and then use it for good. She’d be the hero that the city couldn’t help but fall in love with.

With her talents, she’d be a wonderful asset to the team.

That – right there – was when Five received his best idea—Vanya training alongside them tomorrow. Well, later in the day, as it was almost 1 o’clock in the morning. 

Walking down the hallway, Five stopped abruptly while Allison continues her journey to her room. No longer hearing his footsteps, she stopped in his tracks and peered behind her shoulder. She raised a brow as she noticed Five standing right in front of Vanya’s room.

“What are you going to do? Vanya’s sound asleep.” She asked, voicing her curiosity.

“Vanya asked me to sleep next to her because she’s afraid to be alone,” Five stepped closer to Vanya’s door; his hand on the doorknob, “And I kind of grown accustomed to sleeping next to Dolores, so it’d feel a bit odd not sleeping next to someone.” He shrugged, looking away from his sister.

“Are you comparing your first “wife” to Vanya?”

“I’m not comparing anyone to Dolores. Now, goodnight.”

With that, Five entered Vanya’s room, no longer caring for Allison’s judgmental eyes and prying questions. He was tired and wanted to sleep next to Vanya.

Quietly, he closed her door, making sure to create any loud creaks. The joy of living in an old manor. The doors needed replacing or at least greased up.

The second the door closed shut, he heard something that immediately alerted him, igniting his protective side to burn lively.

Whimpers and pleas…

The desperate tone in Vanya’s voice caused the boy’s chest to uncomfortably tighten.

Without a second thought, Five rushed over to her bed. He quickly knelt in front of her and softly placed his hand on her cheek. He gently patted it as he whispered,

“Vanya. Vanya.”

He soon felt something wet against his fingers. His eyes focused on it; though, it was quite difficult because of the darkness. But he managed. His mind instantly registered that it was her tears. Whatever she dreamed about caused distressed within her psyche and that wasn’t okay with him.

She needed to escape her nightmare…

Five whispered her name a few times. Even gently shook her shoulders as patting her cheeks did nothing.

Suddenly, Vanya’s eyes shot open. Her lips parted just a bit. Her chest heaved up and down as the sounds of heavy breathing escaped her.

“F-Five…?”

“Hey. It’s okay. Whatever it was, it was just a dream.”

“No. It wasn’t…”

“What do you mean?”

“I keep reliving the night I had almost killed Allison…”

Slowly nodding, Five sighed. For once, he was at a loss for words. He didn’t know what he could say or even do to release her from this never-ending guilt.  He knew that Vanya would never hurt anyone on purpose. For fuck’s sake, he remembered acting like a bodyguard for snails and roly-polies when they were six-years-old because Vanya was afraid that Luther, Diego, and Klaus would step on them. She believed that all life on this planet, deserve to remain alive.

So, he hardly believed that Vanya would become this cold-hearted killer…

“But you didn’t. She’s alive and probably asleep right now,” Five stood up, stretching out his legs, “Which is what you and I should be doing so scoot over.” He playfully demanded, waiting until there was enough room for him to lie next to her. When there was, he got underneath the covers, shuffling closer to Vanya so he wouldn’t fall off. Her back was practically against his chest. He could feel her hair tickling his neck.

Thank God for the dark room or else she’d see his bright red cheeks.

He hovered his arm over her stomach, contemplating if he should just drape it over or be the gentleman that he was around her and ask.

“Would it be okay if I wrap my arm around your stomach. I’d feel a tad uncomfortable otherwise.” He asked politely; his voice almost a whisper. The heat in his cheeks worsened.

He heard a faint, surprised gasp followed by a shy, “okay”.

He repeated the word, mumbling it to himself, before wrapping his arms around her waist.

Yep…

Definitely different from when he slept next to Dolores.

He felt the warmth that radiated her body. He felt her stomach move with each inhale and exhale she did. He could’ve sworn that he heard her beating heart.

He truly felt like a teenage boy again with all these hormonal thoughts bombarding him all at once.

It took all his strength to subside those thoughts, keeping them at bay.

With one final breath, Five closed his heavy eyelids, allowing them to finally rest. Not even minutes later, both Five and Vanya entered the dreamworld where no night terrors would plague them—for the first time in years.

While Five had reminiscence about last night’s events, Vanya awoken herself. She raised her arms above her head, stretching out her arms, as she smacked her lips a few times. She then rubbed her tired eyes as the sun-rays penetrated the curtains, brightening up her room. She let out a long yawn, glancing around her room and noticing Five was no longer by her side. Instead, there was a note on her pillow, where his head was once at. She picked it up and unfolded it. Her eyes scanned the contents as she read,

\- Had to sneak out around 6 before dad could catch us. Thank you for the good night’s rest. I really needed that, and I’m sure that you did too. Yours, Five.

The curves of her lips turned upwards, giving off this feeling of warmth. She sighed softly as she folded the letter back up and placing it underneath her pillow. She then swung her legs over her bed; her feet now touched the cool rug. She did one last quick switch before beginning her morning routine.

Today might be a good one…

And it was all thanks to one person named Five…

“Good morning, children! Today, I made waffles, scrambled eggs, and a choice between sausage or bacon. Juice selection is either apple or orange, and if that is not what you guys want, then there is a nice glass of milk with your name on it.”

The Hargreeves siblings smiled brightly; all excited that Grace had made them a nice hearty breakfast. They still hadn’t gotten use to Grace cooking their meals again.

Every time they had eaten her meals, they always felt the love that was poured into each meal.

It was nice…

“And Vanya, my apologies, but I seemed to have misplaced your vitamins.” The violinist heard her mother say as Reginald granted them permission to sit down. Reginald registered what Grace had said. Did she honestly say that she had lost Vanya’s pills?

No. No. No. That couldn’t be. Vanya needed to remain on those pills for his plan to continue being a success. Her powers could never manifest again, or dire consequences would happen

“No matter. I will go down to the pharmacy and pick up a brand-new bottle for you, Number Seven. Just distance yourself from your siblings for the time being. You have a weak immune system, so I do not want you transferring diseases to your them. Understood?”

“Und—"

“No. It is not “understood”. Vanya is in perfect health, so I call complete and utter bullshit on what you are telling us, father.”

Reginald snarled, gripping his fork, as he stabbed a strawberry; juices seeping out of the fruit.

“Number Five. What did I say about talking during mealtimes?”

“How come Vanya can’t participate in our training sessions? Perhaps, she isn’t just “ordinary” as you so graciously remind her and the rest of us every fucking time, we come into contact with her,” Five roughly pushed his plate away, ignoring Vanya’s worried stare. “She is extraordinary. Better than the rest of us, but you wouldn’t know because you never gave her a chance. Instead, you just—”

“That is enough Number Five! Number Seven will never be allowed to train with you all. That is my final word!”

All of the siblings, minus Vanya, clenched their jaws. Their body language tensed as they each balled their hands into a fist; their knuckles practically white.

They were furious…

While, it wasn’t an official confession, the way Reginald swiftly interrupted Five solidified their accusations. Their dear old dad seriously put their sister on mood suppressing medicine because of his fear of Vanya’s abilities. Instead of training her – giving her the chance to prove that she could control her emotions – he just locked her up in a dark room that was sound proof and in the basement. No one would hear her pleas. How she begged to be let out and promise that she’d be a “good little girl”. She was afraid – frightened – and instead of consoling her, Reginald upped her dosage at the slightest glance of kinetic energy being released.

Klaus was right…

It was ultimately their dad’s fault that the apocalypse occurred…

In the midst of the intense atmosphere, Pogo rushed in the dining room, wanting to relay the news to Reginald. He greeted the children and Grace before redirecting his attention to the patriarch. He then whispered something incomprehensible; curiosity grew among the Hargreeves siblings as they see the curves on their dad’s lips turn up slightly. He was almost smiling, so whatever Pogo told him made him happy.

Odd…

Reginald nodded at his assistant, quickly telling him to warm up the car and that he’d be out soon. The children watch Pogo dash out of the dining room before their attentions were captured by their dad.

“Children, you are excuse. Today, I want you guys to train on your own. I will be out of town for the rest of the morning.” He stood up, “I will be back closer to dinnertime. Train hard.” He announced before walking out of the dining room, unknowing that he created complete and utter joy within his children.

Once he was out of line of sight and earshot, Allison and Five looked at each other with a knowing expression. Luther and Diego caught on; confusion etched on their faces. Just as Luther opened his mouth to question them, Allison stood up and announced,

“Vanya, you will be training with us today!”

“I am? But I don’t have my powers anymore. Or at least I don’t think I do…”

“Time-traveling is tricky. While I projected our subconsciousness into a timeline where we all existed and still under Reginald’s iron fist, we still have our memories from our adulthood. I have my memories from when I was 58-years-old for fuck’s sake, so I’m betting my money that you still have your powers.” Five glanced around, shifting his eyes left and right, making sure that Reginald had indeed left. Once it deemed it safe, he resumed, “Focus on my heartbeat and then direct that energy to that glass vase in the right-side corner.”

Vanya froze. Fear washed over her body, slamming into it like a huge wave. Was it seriously wise for her to try and use her abilities? She destroyed the fucking moon for fuck’s sake!

“I-I can’t. I don’t want to destroy the manor again.” She firmly rejected the idea, allowing the fear to swallow her whole.

“You won’t.” Five gently took Vanya’s hand, giving a reassuring squeeze. “We trust you. We know that you would never intentionally harm us.” He then placed her hand over his heart. “Focus on me, okay? In tune yourself with my beating heart, then when your mind is relaxed enough, direct just enough kinetic energy to that vase, only creating a crack.” He smiled warmly at her.

Vanya, paying attention to only Five, nodded. He trusted her despite the fact that she could easily kill them all. He strongly believed in her. And she believed in him.

“Baby steps Vanya… You can do this… This was Five who is helping you. Not Leonard…” She emptied all negative thoughts as her eyes closed. She slowly inhaled and exhaled, focusing on the sound of Five’s beating heart. How it pounded against his chest as the blood flowed through his veins. How steady it was right now in its resting state.

Then, she felt that familiar sensation. She felt attracted to the sound, pulling it away from the source and manipulated it in a way.

The siblings watched her ability manifest slowly; each of them taking a step back, except for Five.

“Good job, Vanya. You are doing great.” He complimented sweetly, careful to not break her concentration as the six of them watch the kinetic energy flow straight for its target. The sound energy closed in on the vase and then…

CRACK!

Vanya opened her eyes and looked over to the vase. Her eyes practically lit up as she felt both excited and completely in awe that she managed to do what Five instructed her to do. She didn’t break the vase. She only created a tiny crack.

Unable to contain her joy, she flung her arms around Five, hugging him. Five froze. His arms remained at his sides.

Slowly, his face became flushed. Those dormant feelings bubbled within his chest. His stomach twisted, creating this odd sensation in the pit of it.

This felt…interesting…

He wanted to explore it further—with Vanya.

The suddenly shy Five pulled away and cleared his throat a few times. The last thing he needed was to stutter over his words. That was Diego’s job.

“Let’s head up the training room and run some tests,” He turned his head towards Allison and Luther, “Guys, I remember you saying something that the violin acted as her lightning rod. Mind grabbing a few more instruments from the music room and bringing them to the practice room?” asked Five; his mind ran scenarios as to which instrument would be the best fit for Vanya. Though, he had an inkling that it would be violin because of how passionate she was about it. Unfortunately, Vanya would be a tad apprehensive at picking it up again after everything that happened in their adulthood.

Maybe having her try out different instruments would ease her into playing the violin again.

“You ready?”

“I don’t really have a choice, do I?”

“Sorry, Vanya.”

Standing in the middle of the training room, Allison, Luther, Diego, and Ben all held different black cases; all of them opened, revealing an instrument.

Vanya pressed her lips together. Her shoulders slumped just a little. This was a bad idea. She could feel it.

Five, on the other hand, had a whistle dangling from his neck and a clipboard with a pen. He was ready to observe and conclude which instrument would be the best for his Vanya. Wait a minute…did he really claim Vanya as his own?

Quickly shaking off those thoughts, wanting to keep them at bay since he didn’t want to scare Vanya with his newly resurfaced infatuation, Five signaled Allison to hand over flute to Vanya.

Allison jogged up to the musician and gently handed over the wind instrument. She flashed a reassuring smile before jogging back to the sidelines.

Klaus, who stood on the other end of the training room, patiently waited, completely in naïve bliss. His siblings had told him that he’d be the practice dummy for Vanya as he enjoyed pain. Anything that would take his mind off the spirits that haunted him. Though, he had been sober for three days now, so he kind of had the ghosts at bay. But that didn’t mean he still wasn’t easily distracted by them, especially when he was a teen.

What? He liked learning about their history and what ultimately ended their life.

It was quite fascinating…

“You ready, Klaus?” Five shouted, holding up the whistle.

Klaus waved him off, “Yeah. Yeah.”

Then, Five blew the whistle. The high-pitch sound caught Vanya off guard, but she soon recovered. Since her powers manifested again, she had to grow accustomed to hearing every single sound and only focusing on one.

Taking a deep breath, Vanya slowly released it, breathing through her nose. She emptied herself off all thoughts and concentrating on the beautiful notes that the flute would produce.

Well…hoped to produce…

The second Vanya pressed a few notes – the C and G# keys were pressed down – and placed her mouth on the lip plate and blew softly into the hole, this shriek like nose echoed throughout the room, causing everyone to quickly cover their ears. The kinetic energy that resulted from the instrument caused poor Klaus’ ears to bleed a little.

Vanya’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor as she held out the flute for someone – anyone – to take from her.

Five pressed his lips together, breathing deeply through his nose. Okay. Maybe starting this session with wind instruments were not the best idea he had.

He turned his gaze towards Luther and signaled him to hand Vanya the trumpet. Maybe playing a horned instrument would be better?

Vanya gave him Five a look as if she said, “Are you seriously having me use this?”

Five nodded with a dimpled grin. He had absolute faith in Vanya. He knew that she would never cause intentional harm to him and the rest of their siblings.

Vanya blew out some air, raising her brows slightly as her eyes went wide. She cocked her head slightly before grabbing the trumpet from Luther.

She pressed her lips against the cold metal instrument and then blew; her face looked like she was blowing a balloon and failing at it.

Then, suddenly, Klaus was knocked flat on his ass. The siblings’ attention snapped on to Klaus, who groaned and moaned as he stood up. He dusted off his uniform, giving Five a thumb’s down.

She felt more at peace with the violin, so this was pointless for her to try other instruments.

“Can we just have her practice on Luther?! My ears are still ringing and bleeding and now, my ass is bruised!” whined Klaus, stomping over to his “loving” siblings.

Five gave him a look while Luther simply glared at him.

“We just need to try out a few more instruments and then—”

“No “and then”! Just give her a damn violin! We all know that she’s perfectly relaxed with her beloved instrument! It’s pointless to have her try out different ones!” Klaus interrupted Five; the sober teen’s head throbbed. Yeah. He needed a break.

Just as Five looked ready to choke Klaus, the group heard a shy voice.

“If you want me to use my violin, then I’ll do it.”

Everyone stared at the musician; fear clearly visible on her poor face. Five roughly handed over the clipboard, slamming it in Klaus’ chest as he walked up Vanya. He placed a warm on her shoulder; his eyes bore right into hers. His gaze warm and comforting. Vanya finally felt safe with someone. She felt genuinely cared for.

“Are you sure? I know you’ve been dreaming about the night you slit Allison’s throat and then the battle at the theater. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable and stressed if you were to use your violin again.” Said Five, gently rubbing her shoulder, as concern coated his tone of voice.

A soft, shy smile graced her face as Vanya stared right in Five’s eyes and said,

“It’s fine. You said so yourself, I would never cause intentional harm to you and the others,” She then walked over to her violin. Five had instructed Ben earlier to bring it along with the other instruments. The violinist picked up the stringed instrument. Memories came flooding back. The guilt and remorse slammed her into her body, but she forcibly ignored it. She would no longer have it control her psyche. She punished herself for actions long enough. It was time to move on.

To move on with her siblings and Five.

Wait…she lumped Five separately…odd…

With her violin clutched against her chest, Vanya walked back to the middle of the training room. She positioned the instrument against her shoulder and chin. She then positioned her fingers and raised the bow before placing it on the strings.

Vanya swiftly emptied her thoughts, soothing the hurricane that stormed in her mind.

Then, she started to play.

A soothing sound emitted from the beautiful instrument. Little by little, the Hargreeves siblings saw the kinetic energy floating in the air.

Instead of it being destructive, it just lingered, creating this feeling of euphoria among them.

Vanya was in tune with her instrument. They were one.

“Now, Vanya, I want you to focus the energy and knock over those practice dummies over in the left-side corner.” The violinist heard Five instruct. She shouted a quick, “okay”, before manipulating the sound energy, redirecting them to the dummies. She switched to a more aggressive song; the euphoric feeling disappeared. Then, a wave of energy came crashing onto the dummies, knocking them down. Just how Five instructed her to do so.

Vanya stopped playing, removing the violin away from her body. Completely in awe, the pleased girl breathed heavily. Her heart pounded against her chest. The adrenaline surged through her veins. It would take a lot more practice to have complete control over her abilities, but Vanya felt at ease knowing that it was possible.

She no longer feared the idea of becoming evil and causing mass destruction.

And it was all thanks to Five…

Vanya practically skipped towards him; her face beamed.

“Did you see that?!”

“I did. You’re getting the hang of your abilities.”

“I am and it’s thanks to you,” She gestured to all of her siblings, “To all of you guys.” She then smiled at Five, “But you especially. You believed and trusted in me, and it means a lot.” She hugged him again, uncaring of the fact that their siblings were still watching them.

A pinkish hue painted his cheeks as Five slowly raised his hands, finally returning the hug. No longer would he fight his blossoming affections towards the girl. He had already told Allison about his plans of showing Vanya what true, genuine love was, so it was pointless to keep it a secret.

He couldn’t keep it a secret…

Not anymore…

“Well. Thanks for trusting my word and following my instructions. Um…let’s try again, if you still have energy to do so.”

“I do! I’m ready!”

Unbeknown to them, their father had returned much earlier than they expected and had been watching their little training session.

“Interesting…why didn’t I think of utilizing an instrument as a lightning rod for Number Seven…She might be useful to me after all…”

* * *

**A/N:** Hi everyone! Keeping to my weekly updates (which is a first for me since I tend to give up on having a schedule LOL), I am back with another chapter of  _Pressing That Rewind Button_! What do you guys think of this chapter? I personally had fun writing this because I always wanted to see what would happen if Vanya trained with her siblings and Five, and NOT how I wrote it in my other series,  _I'm Your Music,_ our resident badass violinist is actually training with her powers! But that last sentence by Sir Reginald is kind of ominous. . . what is he planning? Sound off in the comments below! 

Updates are every  **Saturday**! And updates for  _I'm Your Music_ are  **whenever I finish the requests**! Please be patient with me, especially those to who requested a little something something from me! I work during the weekdays and depending if I'm mentally drained or not, I'll at least start the request! :) Up next is request #9! I get to channel my inner protectiveness because a certain lady is going to be in danger and our resident time-traveling assassin is going to be  _pissed_. 

Don’t forget to leave a kudos/comment on your thoughts! I love hearing them! :) 

\- Kim


	4. Can I Tell You Something?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Excerpt: _“That damn smile of hers…” He bitterly thought, letting out a few airy chuckles as his thoughts continued to wage war with one another. Ever since he had comforted Vanya months ago, his entire world hadn’t been the same. His thoughts – his emotions – were not the same. How she put her utmost trust in him when he told her that he would do anything to fix her without resorting to ending her life. How glimpses of hope flashed in her eyes as she listened to Five talk about his plans on fixing her, ranging from simply making her smile every day to helping her learn and control her newly found abilities. What really tipped his feelings over the edge was how she hugged him. One…simple…fucking…hug broke down his 58-year-old mentality and made him feel like an actual teenager again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Do not repost, plagiarize, and/or translate my content without my permission. All of my works are written by yours truly, and if I see any form of copyright infringement, I will not hesitate to take legal action. Thank you.

_Previously_

_A pinkish hue painted his cheeks as Five slowly raised his hands, finally returning the hug. No longer would he fight his blossoming affections towards the girl. He had already told Allison about his plans of showing Vanya what true, genuine love was, so it was pointless to keep it a secret._

_He couldn’t keep it a secret…_

_Not anymore…_

_“Well. Thanks for trusting my word and following my instructions. Um…let’s try again, if you still have energy to do so.”_

_“I do! I’m ready!”_

_Unbeknown to them, their father had returned much earlier than they expected and had been watching their little training session._

_“Interesting…why didn’t think of utilizing an instrument as a lightning rod for Number Seven…She might be useful to me after all…”_

**_March 2002_ **

Letting out yet another exasperated sigh, Five looked down on the clipboard; his brows knitted together. A few, faint profanities left his lips as he anxiously tapped the pen against the paper. His eyes scanned the content, noting the difference in the numbers. His gaze then trailed up, watching the scene before him. The corners of his mouth turned upwards as a warm expression glazed over his eyes. He couldn’t help but feel proud with how far Vanya had come. From when they first arrived, back in January, to now, she had grown accustomed to her abilities. She learned how to contain them enough to not go berserk but also allowed them to be free. She slowly embraced them. She no longer allowed her nightmares – her insecurities – to control her thoughts. She wasn’t this coldhearted murderer. No. She was simply Vanya. She was scared…confused…but most importantly…vulnerable.

It was her vulnerable – lonely – state of mind that became her an easy target for that prick, Harold Jenkins, to sink his claws into her and mold her psyche into thinking that she was above her family—above Five.

The former time-traveling assassin didn’t know what hurt him the most. Was it the fact that he saw his sweet, caring Vanya turn into this ruthless killer? Or was it the fact that she trusted that some random asshole, that she only knew for like a week, more than her own family? When he had overheard Allison ranting about how Vanya sided with some random person rather than her, Five grew curious. The Vanya he knew always valued family. And while, yes, the rift among the Hargreeves siblings only grew because of her autobiography, Vanya would always choose her family over anything else. Five remembered them as young children and how Vanya would put their needs above her own. Shit, he lost count on how many times Vanya stopped drawing pictures, when they were six-years-old, just so he could talk to her about the planets or nature. People had deemed her pathetic – practically crazy – for always picking the family that treated her like shit, but what those unwanted, nobodies failed to understand was that when it came down to it, her family would pick her as well.

Vanya just didn’t know it...

Jotting down a few notes, Five muttered a few sentences. His eyes focused on Vanya’s progress sheet. His brain went into overdrive as he tried his hardest to decipher the data. So far, the lethal violinist had made excellent progress with only a few minor set-backs, which were primarily Reginald trying to get Vanya to take her medicine. But luckily, they would always miraculously disappear. However, Five needed more data. He needed to see her in action but sadly, there hadn’t been much opportunities for Vanya to go on missions with them. They were either deemed too dangerous by Five’s standards and he didn’t want his precious violinist to get hurt or they were too easy. Easy to the point that it would be a mockery of Vanya’s talents to even try and convince Reginald to send her out.

So naturally…the siblings waited…

And they continued to wait until the perfect opportunity came knocking on their door…

“I think she’s getting better.” Heard Five, pulling him away from his calculating thoughts. He glanced up from the clipboard and came face-to-face with Allison.

“She is, but she can’t keep practicing on Luther, Diego, and Klaus. Vanya needs more of a challenge now.” He stated, clutching the clipboard to his side, as he continued to watch Vanya shoot down Diego’s knives with her ability. His fingers lightly drummed against the wooden board; his mind was still on overdrive mode as he hoped to figure out what could pose as a challenge for Vanya.

Allison, on the other hand, hummed in response. She stood next to Five, leaning against the wall, as she watched Luther sneak up behind her but soon landed flat on his ass thanks to Vanya redirecting enough sound energy at him. Secretly, Allison wished her sister had sent him flying because he had prevented her from talking to Vanya when they were adults. Plus, he had gotten high and fucked some random skank while she searched for Vanya.

What a great guy she had fallen in love with, huh?

“I think she’s doing perfectly fine practicing on those three fellas,” The two heard a loud groan and immediately looked up. They saw Diego on top of Luther; both of them groaned and cursed at each other. “And I think she’s helping Diego and Luther with their teamwork.” The optimistic Allison stated just as she and Five hear Vanya shouting at the two egotistical brothers to stop fighting.

Five gave Allison a look that said, “you were saying?”

Allison sighed, muttering, “Idiots…”before pushing herself off the wall and walking over to the two children that currently wrestled in the middle of the practice room.

The annoyed teen pinched the bridge of his nose; a long, frustrated fueled sigh escaped his lips as he heard Allison shout, demanding the two of them to stop or else Reginald would have all of their asses.

A scoff escaped him as he eyed his bickering siblings with Klaus and Ben joining, trying their hardest to help Allison break apart Luther and Diego.

Never a dull moment inside the Hargreeves manor…

“I’m sorry…” A soft voice penetrated his harsh – irritated – thoughts. Five mustered a small smile, not wanting to direct his anger at the last person that deserved it—Vanya.

“What did I tell you about apologizing for things that are not your fault?” He asked in a teasing tone of voice. His tiny smile morphed into an amused smirk; a chuckle bubbled within his chest.

Vanya, with the frown staying on her face, said, “Not to do it…”

Five smiled and just as he opened his mouth, Vanya spoke again.

“But I still can’t help but feel bad that the reason why everyone is on the edge is because of me. You guys helping me during your scheduled free time is just adding on to the unnecessary pre—”

Five covered Vanya’s mouth, not wanting to hear any more of her guilt trip, as he flashed her a warning look.

“Okay. I’m going to remove my hand now. Just don’t start again or else I’ll be forced to use other methods that don’t require my hand. Got it?” He said, gently removing his hand, ignoring how soft and warm her skin felt against his cool and rough hand.

Vanya, fighting off the blush that threatened to creep on her cheeks, simply stared at him. Her lips thinned; she gently gnawed on her bottom lip. She contemplated what to say next, rocking her feet back and forth. It was a first for either one of them to experience something close to intimacy. Sure, they had hugged a few times but never once had he ever touched her face. He only ever stared at her, always establishing eye contact whenever they talked.

But covering her mouth with his hand? That was uncharted territory that Five had been on the fence with. While with Vanya, she never once thought about dipping her feet in. Sure, she wanted a relationship with Five, but what kind? Did she want the same kind of bond she so desperately desired to have with her siblings?

No…

It wouldn’t feel right to have just a sibling bond with him…

Yet…

She was unsure what to label those strange feelings…

The confused violinist continued to subtly stare at Five; a blush faintly appeared on her cheeks as she ventured deeper within her psyche as she continued to decipher her foreign feelings towards the time-traveling former hitman.

She was too deep inside her thoughts that she failed to register Five’s voice calling out to her repeatedly.

After failed attempts of verbally grabbing her attention, Five resorted in using physical methods. He gently cupped her cheeks, lowering himself down to eye level, and then leaned in. Little by little, his face closed the gap between their lips. He easily masked the laughter that bubbled within as this look of realization dawned on Vanya’s face.

Then, seconds later, Vanya snapped out of her daze and let out an embarrassing shriek. She then pushed him away before quickly turning around, hiding her flushed face.

Five grinned, “She’s back ladies and gentlemen.”

“Not funny Five. You couldn’t grab my attention like any other normal person?”

“I tried that, but you were too deep in thought that you didn’t even register me calling out your name like ten times. So, remembering how easily embarrassed I make you when we were younger, I decided to test it out again.”

“What? You never make me easily embarrassed.”

“Uh-huh. Then why is your face red as a tomato?”

Vanya glared at the now arrogant Five. She pressed her lips firmly together as she bent down and picked up her fallen violin. She had accidentally dropped it when she pushed Five away. She then clutched the precious instrument against her chest, cradling it as if it was her child.

“Are they still fighting?” She asked, changing the topic.

Five snorted, stuffing a hand inside the pocket of his shorts while the other gripped onto the clipboard. He had almost forgotten that the wooden board was still in his possession. He then glanced over to where Diego and Luther were at and low and behold, they were still at each other’s throats. Luther tried to get around Allison while Klaus and Ben desperately held onto Diego as the angry knife thrower tried his hardest to break free.

“Yup,” He said with a blank expression, “Want to do something about it? I do recall you learning how to relax your opponents a few weeks ago.” He added, flashing her a grin.

Vanya playfully shook her head but positioned her violin against her chin and shoulder. She then lifted up the bow and emptied her mind of any negative thoughts. She focused all her energy on wanting to relax her siblings and with one final deep breath, Vanya began to play.

A soothing tune emitted from the stringed instrument, entering through the ears of the Hargreeves siblings. Slowly, sound energy exited Vanya’s body, flowing towards her hostile brothers.

Five watched with curiosity gleaming in his eyes. He raised the clipboard and jotted down notes as both Diego and Luther’s body relaxed and then dropped to the floor. Allison, Klaus, and Ben stepped back; their attention snapped onto Vanya before giving her a thumb’s up.

“Thank you!” shouted Klaus, relieved that his muscles get a break. It was tough holding back an angry Diego.

Vanya stopped playing and nodded at her brother as Allison jogged up to her and Five.

“And you could’ve asked her to do that like five minutes ago?” quipped the tired Allison as she silently berated herself for not using her ability on Diego and Luther. It would’ve saved them both time and energy to be honest.

“Question. How are we going to get them to wake up? Dinner is in about an hour, and we need to get freshened up, so dad remains oblivious.” The trio heard Ben asked as he and Klaus walk up to them, creating a tiny circle.

Five sighed and then a devious idea planted itself in his mind. He held out his hand, gesturing for the violin. Vanya raised her brow, wondering what he wanted with her violin. However, instead of asking, she handed it over. Why? She honestly had no clue.

Flashing a thankful smile, Five playfully winked at Vanya, causing the poor girl to blush once more. He then jogged up to Luther’s and Diego’s unconscious bodies and raised both the violin and bow.

“You might want to cover your ears for this!” He suggested, directing his statement more at Vanya because of her ability. The last thing he wanted was for her to accidentally destroy the practice room and create more guilt within her psyche. She had slowly relieved herself from some of them. He didn’t need her to form new ones.

Allison and the others did as they were told, swiftly covering their ears. Some of the slammed their eyes shut, not wanting to see Luther and Diego pissed off.

Five raised the violin and position the bow on the strings. He pressed his index finger down on the first string and then mentally counted down from five.

How suiting…

The second the conniving teen reached one, this loud, high-pitched screech echoed throughout the four walls of the room. Vanya and Allison winced, shielding their ears even more. While Klaus and Ben patiently waited for Luther and Diego to scramble up and ready to murder Five.

“What the fuck?!” shouted both Luther and Diego, forcibly waken up from their peaceful slumber. They scrambled up, dusting themselves up, as they shot one another an icy glare.

“Good evening, gentlemen.” Five politely greeted, clutching the violin and bow against his side and saluting them with two fingers with his other hand. “It is nice for you guys to return to the land of the living. Practice is over so we can get ready for dinner.” He said before returning to Vanya’s side and handing back the violin.

Luther and Diego rolled their eyes; both muttered a quick, “whatever”, before exiting the room. Well, they tried to exit the room as they both walked underneath the doorway and remained at a standstill. They pushed each other, hoping that the other would give in, until Allison walked up behind them, cleared her throat, and said,

“Excuse me, boys. Ladies first.”

Luther and Diego immediately pulled away, both embarrassed by their barbaric actions.

Smiling to herself, Allison skipped out of the room with Klaus and Ben trailing behind her. Then, Luther and Diego walked out after them, leaving behind Five and Vanya—alone.

Five quickly glanced at the door, making sure that no one would interrupt him. He had patiently counted down for practice to be over as he wanted to ask Vanya something. That was the reason behind his nerves. Why he had been so antsy while his siblings helped Vanya practice all afternoon.

He wanted to ask the violinist to accompany him somewhere tonight. He had something to get off his chest, and he hoped that after tonight, she would feel the same.

Then…

They’d be on the right path towards the happy ending that they honestly deserved…

Creeping up behind Vanya, who had been crouched over as she placed her beloved instrument in its case, tucking away the bow in its secret compartment, Five towered over her body. He secretly loved how she became quite oblivious to her surroundings. It just showed how much she poured all her attention into one thing. She always wanted to give whatever or whoever it was her undivided attention because she believed that that was all her ordinary self could contribute to the world.

So…

Why not be good at it?

Slowly, Five lowered himself down, bending down so he could be near her ears. Then, he cupped his mouth and said,

“Hey.”

Vanya immediately jumped; her soul left her body for a brief moment.

“JESUS, FIVE!” She shouted, nearly toppling over her violin case.

“I can’t believe your still not used to me popping up out of nowhere by now.” Five simply grinned in response, shoving his hands inside his pockets. He had carelessly tossed the clipboard to the side minutes prior to his little sneak attack.

Vanya couldn’t help but gawk. This boy was too much for her sometimes…

“That is something that I would never get used to…” She rolled her eyes, standing up with her violin case in her hands, “Anyway, what do you want? I thought you left with the others?” She asked, cocking up one of her brows.

“I actually wanted to request something of you.” He answered, shifting his gaze away from her. He cleared his throat a few times. He inhaled and exhaled nice and slow, hoping that the breathing exercise would calm his nerves, but it only made him more nervous. He uttered a silent prayer. The last thing his anxiety needed was for Vanya to notice it but…she did…she definitely noticed.

Raising a brow, Vanya studied Five, noting the sudden change in body language. She particularly noticed how Five shifted on the heels of his feet. How he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck while trying his hardest to mask the blush that invaded his naked cheeks. What really alarmed her was the fact that he could barely look at her in the eye now. A difference in their previous interactions that only occurred thirty minutes prior. But even, she noticed how short their established eye contact was. Which was incredibly strange since whenever he talked about the apocalypse, he looked her straight in the eye and told her the pending harsh future. Shit. He even had the balls to look at her in the eyes while she cyphered away his life force during her moment of darkness.

So, his current behavior was odd…very odd…

Minutes of silence continued to pass them by. It honestly felt like an eternity to them as neither one of them said a word. Every time one of them were to open their mouth, it would instantly close again.

Vanya honestly had no clue what to say next. She didn’t want to make him even more nervous than he already was. So, naturally, she patiently waited for him to continue what his earlier statement. She flashed him reassuring smiles, wanting him to know that she would remain silent in hopes that he would finally say what was on his mind.

However, that only riled up his nerves even more.

“That damn smile of hers…” He bitterly thought, letting out a few airy chuckles as his thoughts continued to wage war with one another. Ever since he had comforted Vanya months ago, his entire world hadn’t been the same. His thoughts – his emotions – were not the same. How she put her utmost trust in him when he told her that he would do anything to fix her without resorting to ending her life. How glimpses of hope flashed in her eyes as she listened to Five talk about his plans on fixing her, ranging from simply making her smile every day to helping her learn and control her newly found abilities. What really tipped his feelings over the edge was how she hugged him. One…simple…fucking…hug broke down his 58-year-old mentality and made him feel like an actual teenager again. These foreign feelings that not even Dolores made him experience during their thirty years of marriage. This uncertainty. This confusion. Nothing.

With Dolores, there was no question on whether his love for her was right or wrong. Yet with Vanya? That was the reason behind his confusion. His conflicted, warring thoughts. Was it right for him to love someone who he was raised together with? Someone who he deemed a “sister” to him?

But if he was being honest with himself…

He never saw her as his sister. Allison? Yes. She was hands down his sister. Someone who was a part of his dysfunctional family. But Vanya? Never. She was never his sister. He never cared for her as such.

The violinist was something more to him, and up until this point, Five wasn’t quite sure to label these blossoming affections, but now he does.

He knew that these feelings – this crush – was genuine. And the two of them deserved to be happy.

They deserved to experience what true love actually was. Not the bullshit she had with Harold Jenkins. But the love that Five would shower her with. She would know what it was like to be loved by someone with no ulterior motives.

She would be happy…

He would be happy…

Clearing his throat, Five mustered all of his courage and directed his attention onto Vanya. He ignored the warm sensation that invaded his cheeks, creating this reddish tint. He needed to ask her this before he cowards out. He just had to.

“I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to the garden at 8.”

“The garden?”

“I mean, if you have something planned already, then I would understand. It’s just that Allison and Luther gave me permission to use their tent, and I was hoping that the two of us can just relax up there and listen to music. I believe Luther has an Etta James record, and I know that she is your favorite jazz singer. And…oh, God I’m rambling. But would you?”

Vanya blinked a few times; her head tilted to the side. She studied his body language once more, finding it a bit adorable how nervous he was. A total opposite of his usual suave demeanor, but it was refreshing.

No longer stood a teen with the mind of a 58-year-old, but a normal teen with regular adolescent thoughts. His appearance screamed awkward teenager, and it made Vanya smile—it made her happy.

With a bright smile slowly gracing her face, Vanya said,

“I would love to…”

Pacing back and forth, Five ran this hand through his hair for the twentieth time in the span of seven minutes. His breathing was a bit sporadic. His heart pounded against his chest. His fingers trembled slightly. He secretly thanked the fact that he didn’t wear a watch. If he did, he would be torturing himself by checking it every other second. What was the time anyway? Maybe he was early? After all, he did leave his room around 7:45 P.M. and used his spatial jumping ability to teleport himself to the garden, so it didn’t take him that long.

Five stopped in his tracks; his hardened gaze focused on the entrance. His mind raced with a million thoughts. Tonight would be the night where he confessed his most hidden secret. Where he would announce to Vanya that he undeniably had a crush on her. He would gently take her hands, lighting rubbing them with his thumbs, and look straight into her eyes and then tell her. He could already feel his heart drum against his chest at the mere thought of waiting for Vanya’s answer. That warmth invaded his cheeks once more as he couldn’t help but imagine her face dawning its own blush. How the pinkish hue complimented her facial tone. It enhanced the innocence that she radiated on a daily basis. The doe-like expression that would soften up as she lost herself to the music from her violin.

The more his mind drifted off towards her, the more it fueled his bravery. This fiery desire to tell Vanya right now—to her how much he wanted to be with her in a romantic light.

But, the million-dollar question was…

Would she feel the same way?

Would she flings her arms around his neck and hug him, or would she be disgusted by his confession and flat out reject him?

Oh, God…he hoped it would be the first option. He didn’t know what he would do if she were to act out the second scenario.

His heart wouldn’t be able to take it…

Letting out a long sigh, Five glanced at the entry way yet again, hoping that this time Vanya would be there, walking up to him.

And after what seemed like forever, she did. Vanya appeared out of the dark with a shy smile gracing her precious face.

“Hey…” said Vanya shyly, tucking her hair behind her ear.

Without thinking, Five rushed up to her, closing the gap between their bodies. A warm smile appeared on his face while this look of happiness burned in his eyes. A genuine feeling of joy that he hadn’t felt in a long ass time.

“How are you doing?” He asked, smiling softly.

Vanya returned the smile, feeling brave enough to look at him, “I’m doing fine. Kind of chilly but other than that, I’m fine.”

Five nodded. Then, he held out his hand; a faint blush crept on his cheeks again. He might as well get used to it being around since it was futile to keep fighting it.

“Um. Might if I hold your hand? It can be tricky getting inside the tent, so I want to make sure that you get in hassle free.” He asked, gently gnawing on the bottom of his lip afterwards.

Vanya’s eyes widened. This look of complete and utter surprise washed over her face. But she soon recovered. She didn’t want to keep him waiting since she already did that earlier in the day.

He needed a break…poor Five…

She nodded in response, practically beaming.

Five looked shocked. He honestly didn’t think Vanya would allow him to hold her hand; though, it was quite stupid of him to think so because they had slept next to each other for fuck’s sake. She had cuddled up next to him, resting her head on his chest, as the two of them enjoyed a nightmare free sleep. They always felt well-rested whenever they woke up the next morning.

No longer did they dawn those dark circles and heavy bags under their eyes. They looked energetic.

They looked happy as they felt like themselves again.

No more paranoia.

No more guilt.

Nothing.

Just this comforting warmth that radiated off them.

And it was all because of Five taking the time to get to know her.

He made it his mission to fix Vanya, showing her that she was not alone, and he did. He made her feel like she could rely on him just like how he relied on her when they were younger.

Well…when they were younger the first time around…

Politely guiding her to the tent, Five helped her enter the little fort that Allison and Luther had created many months ago. He heard a faint gasp coming from the violinist and out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the corners of her lips curved upwards.

Seeing her smile boosted his ego just a little bit. Five felt pleased knowing that they were still on the right track of a romantic relationship.

Now…

He just needed to confess to her and get it all out in the open…

Once Vanya was comfortable, Five finally entered the tent, ducking just a bit so he wouldn’t ruin it and cause it to come crumbling down. He then sat down, getting himself into a comfortable position, and pulled his knees to his chest.

The two sat side-by-side, in blissful silence. Nothing but the sounds of cars passing by, and if they were lucky enough, they felt the small breeze that managed to slip through the cracks of the greenhouse.

Not romantic enough for Five but at least the thought counts, right?

Vanya and Five remained quiet, only playfully pushing each other, causing soft giggles and laughter to emit from their lips, until finally the time-traveling former hitman said something.

“So, what do you hope for the future?”

“The future?”

“You know…once we move out of this manor after we succeed in fixing you; thus, preventing the apocalypse for good.”

“Ah…” Vanya pressed her lips together. A faint hum exited her lips as the wheels in her mind began turning. What did she want to do once her and her siblings succeed in this mission? What would she want to do with Five once this was all over?

She pulled her legs to her chest, thankful of the fact that she had changed into her pajamas before meeting up with Five. She then rested her cheek against her knees and looked at Five. Her cheek puffed out as she thought about her answer for a more seconds.

Then, a look of realization hit her. She couldn’t believe that she had almost forgotten.

“Well, I hope that I maintain my passion for being a violinist and then go on to become famous to the point that I’m a featured musician in different orchestras all over the world.” A faint smile graced her face, “What about you Five? What do you want to do once this is all over?” She asked, curiosity flashed in her eyes.

Five looked taken back. It was almost as if he wasn’t expecting that question and yet, he did at the same time. What did he want to do once this was all over? He already knew that he was going to negate from Timeline A. He had already made up his mind that he wasn’t going to press Reginald about time-traveling when the time comes. In not doing so, he wouldn’t stupidly give in to his ego – his pride – and then end up traveling to the apocalyptic future which would leave Vanya all alone, hoping that he would one day come back. However, if he were to deviate from that string of time, what would happen to his 58-year-old conscious? Would it disappear along with his knowledge of the apocalypse and the various aspects of time-travel that he gained over the years of being isolated? Was he ready to give that up? It had become a part of him, and he fully embraced it but…

“Well, do you see yourself earning a PhD. in physics or something science related? Maybe working as a professor after publishing many scientific journals?” Five heard Vanya, interrupting his thoughts which soothed away his fears. There he had it. He was no longer afraid of losing his knowledge because he could just regain them with Vanya by his side.

“Or! Do you see yourself getting married? Maybe having kids?”

“I was married to Dolores for thirty something years so…”

“Oh, my bad. I forgot. So, you wouldn’t mind getting married again then?”

“Depends.”

“On what?”

“How did you react to seeing me after almost seventeen years?” Five asked; his gaze penetrated hers. He prayed to God that her reaction would be positive because if it was, then he would definitely consider marriage but to her this time. But if it was on a negative note, then he might consider time-traveling back to this moment and redoing this whole ordeal. He didn’t want to live in regret anymore. He was done singing the whole, “should’ve”, “could”, and “would’ve”. He was absolutely done…

Vanya removed her cheek from her knees. Her body tensed just a bit. Millions of thoughts bombarded her mind as she didn’t know where to begin, especially how to word her happiness without frightening Five. Just like Five, she too started to develop a crush, remembering her 13-year-old feelings towards the intelligent yet cocky teen. She remembered him being there for her when the rest of their siblings wouldn’t give her the time of day. She especially remembered him asking her to play the violin while he read a book or worked on his time-traveling calculations. She loved how he trusted her with his innermost secrets and in time, she returned the favor. But she couldn’t get the chance to show him as he left and never came back until almost seventeen years later…

_**March 24, 2019** _

“Nice to know that dad didn’t forget me.” Vanya heard Five as she walked up to him. She glanced over him as she couldn’t believe that after all these years, there he was, right in front of her. But what made this encounter almost like a dream sequence was that he was in his 13-year-old body. Seeing him in such a state kind of opened old wounds. Wounds that Vanya had thought disappeared, especially after taking her medicine that numbed her emotions.

“Read your book, by the way. Found it in a library that was still standing. I thought it was pretty good, all things considered.” Vanya kept her eyes on him, afraid that he might disappear again, “Yeah, definitely ballsy giving up the family secrets. Sure, that went over well.” She could sense a hint of pride in his voice. He always did tell her to stand up for herself when they were younger. Well, when she was younger.

“They hate me.”

Five wanted to scoff at her comment but held back. His harshness was the last thing she needed, especially after reappearing back into her life. Though, he wouldn’t mind shedding that energy towards people that deserved it. The rest of his “loving” siblings. It pissed him off tremendously when he read how horrible Allison and the others treated her, and it pained him knowing that Vanya needed him there – how badly she missed him – and he just couldn’t be there. That guilt was something he carried with him for his entire life but instead of using it to fuel his sorrows, he used to feed his desire on figuring out a way back home. He refused to sit down and accept that being stuck in that apocalyptic Hell was his future.

Vanya needed him, and so she would have him…

“Oh, there are worse things that can happen.”

“Oh, you mean like what happened to Ben?”

“Was it bad?”

Vanya nodded, refusing to remember the death of her brother. His death was considered a taboo in their family. They never talked about it nor remembered it. They wanted to remember him in a loving, positive light. Plain and simple.

_**March 2002** _

Five patiently waited for her answer; though, the anticipation killed him. The more she stayed silent, the more he believed her reaction was negative. Perhaps he was a fool to ask her question. He was perfectly content with believing that she missed him so much but just didn’t know what to say right now.

Wishful thinking…

Just as he was about to open his mouth to tell her to forget about his question, she answered. What she said next made Five’s heart stop for a second. He couldn’t believe that just one little sentence could make him happy.

“When I first saw you again after almost seventeen years, I thought I was dreaming, especially when you reappeared to us as your 13-year-old self. But once my mind registered that you were in fact right in front of me, I was honestly over the moon. And if I wasn’t on those damn mood suppressant pills, then I would’ve cried tears of joy as well,” Vanya paused, sighing, “I meant what I said when I told you that I didn’t want to lose you again. I don’t know what I would do if you were to leave me again.” She finished; her voice barely a whisper.

The corners of his mouth turned upwards. He felt this surge of pride flow through his veins.

“Well, I don’t want to lose you either. It sucked just reading your book and staring at your author portrait every damn day while you grew up without me. I mean, didn’t we have plans to leave the manor together and just do whatever the fuck we want?”

“We did, but you left so I had to carry out our dreams alone.”

Five chuckled, detecting the bitterness in her voice.

“But, I’m here now and to finally answer your question. I can see myself getting married to you when we’re older.”

Vanya’s face flushed. A faint squeak escaped her lips. And suave Five was back.

Not knowing what to say, Vanya playfully bumped her shoulder into his, causing the poor boy to nearly topple over, but he just bounced back. Their shoulders touched. Their faces close together, inches away from their lips touching. This pinkish hue invaded their cheeks. Their eyes flicker down, catching a quick glimpse of each other’s lips.

Little by little, their faces lean forward. This strong magnetic force pulled them closer. Then, as if something possessed him, Five gently cupped her cheek; his thumb softly caressed her skin. He waited one more second, looking for any sign that Vanya was uncomfortable. And when she looked just as willing, he mustered the last remaining amount of bravery he had left and went for it. He pressed his lips against hers, savoring the moment of finally kissing his long-term crush.

Their eyes fluttered shut; both of them lost in their sweet and innocent kiss. While, it was cliché to say that they felt fireworks, it was true. They felt this incredibly strong spark that officially solidified their feelings.

They wanted no one else but the person in front of them…

Slowly, Vanya and Five pulled away, revealing blushes and dimpled grins. Out of embarrassment, Vanya hid her flushed face against his shoulder while Five placed a kiss on her head. Then, she repositioned herself, so her head rested nicely on his shoulder. Five then laid his head on top of hers; both dawned warm smiles as they just enjoyed each other’s presence.

“I’m not sure if you noticed, but I have had a crush on you ever since you took the time to listen to my rambles about time-traveling and other science related topics when we were first a couple of thirteen-year-olds.” Five piped up, breaking the comfortable silence as he recalled fondly his memories of him going to Vanya, eager to share his new findings about time-travel.

Vanya giggled softly, “Well…I’m not sure if you noticed, but I too had a crush on you ever since you took the time to hear my violin playing,” She smiled shyly, “It made me feel like I was more than just “ordinary” …” She confessed; her heart skipped a beat as she recalled her own fond memories that she created with Five. She particularly remembered him always asking her to play some mood music while he worked on yet another calculation.

Five eyed her playfully, “Had? Meaning you don’t have one on me now?”

Vanya grinned and instead of answering, she leaned her head up and kissed him again. She pulled away, revealing an alluring smile.

“What do you think?”

* * *

**A/N:** AH!!! THEY FINALLY KISSED! I'M THE AUTHOR, AND I'M STILL NOT OVER THE FACT THAT THEY FINALLY KISSED! I honestly had so much writing this chapter because I got to really focus on the pent-up infatuation that - at least - Five had on Vanya and explore the possibility that she too returned his feelings, but like Aidan said, it was far too late for them so... EVERYONE DESERVES A SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE!! (except for Harold Jenkins. He can choke...)

This series is updated  **every** Saturday; whereas,  _I'm Your Music_ is updated  **every** Sunday (except for **this** Sunday as I'm taking a small weekend break from writing to rest my creativity bank. I feel that strain whenever I'm writing a little sentence, so my brain is telling my to take a two-day break! To make it up to you guys, I'll publish two updates for that series and give this one time to linger around since we are  _actually_ nearing the end of this! ;-; I'm not ready to say goodbye yet!)

Don’t forget to leave a kudos/comment on your thoughts! I love hearing them! :) 

\- Kim


	5. Vanya's First Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Excerpt: _His heart would honestly shatter if Vanya were to die while out in the field._  
>  _He just couldn’t imagine his life without her…_  
>  _Not after they just talked about their future together a week ago…_  
>  _If something went horribly wrong, then there went their marriage life…the possibility of having a family…all the adventures they planned out…_  
>  _Gone._  
>  _Deleted._  
>  _Erased…_  
>  _Firmly shaking his head, Five stepped closer to Vanya, needing to be next to her. For the sake of his sanity, he had to be near her presence. Being near her body allowed Five to know that she was still alive._  
>  _“What if she gets hurt?” He blurted out, voicing his inner thoughts, as he caused Vanya to blush deeply._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Do not repost, plagiarize, and/or translate my content without my permission. All of my works are written by yours truly, and if I see any form of copyright infringement, I will not hesitate to take legal action. Thank you.

_Previously_

_“I’m not sure if you noticed, but I have had a crush on you ever since you took the time to listen to my rambles about time-traveling and other science related topics when we were first a couple of thirteen-year-olds.” Five piped up, breaking the comfortable silence as he recalled fondly his memories of him going to Vanya, eager to share his new findings about time-travel._

_Vanya giggled softly, “Well…I’m not sure if you noticed, but I too had a crush on you ever since you took the time to hear my violin playing,” She smiled shyly, “It made me feel like I was more than just “ordinary” …” She confessed; her heart skipped a beat as she too recalled her own fond memories that she created with Five. She particularly remembered him always asking her to play some mood music while he worked on yet another calculation._

_Five eyed her playfully, “Had? Meaning you don’t have one on me now?”_

_Vanya grinned and instead of answering, she leaned her head up and kissed him again. She pulled away, revealing an alluring smile._

_“What do you think?”_

**_March 15, 2002_ **

“Hey, who wants to race to breakfast?”

Everyone heard Luther suggests, looking up from what they were doing. Allison was reading a magazine with her face on the cover. Diego was polishing his knives; a habit that remained into his adulthood. Ben was reading a book; one of his many favorites. Klaus tried to knit, wanting some sort of distraction without resorting back to consuming drugs again. He loved this newly found sobriety. And Five and Vanya were doing what any other newly lovers would do—they simply enjoyed each other’s company.

Looks of uncertainty mixed with plain old rejection appeared on their faces. They even glanced at each other; their eyes shifted from one another, hoping that someone would pipe up and say something.

Vanya stared at Five as she felt the pressure from the rest of her siblings. They didn’t want to be the one to hurt Luther’s feelings, well, except Diego, but he had been too exhausted to say his usual snarky comments. So – the next best thing – Five.

Five’s eyebrows rose; his lips remained thinned.

“May I help you?” He asked, staring back with a tiny gleam of playfulness.

Vanya, instead of answering, tilted her head towards Luther, who was still patiently waiting for an answer.

Five peeked around her shoulder and then back at her.

“Luther, no one wants to race to breakfast. We are tired and quite honestly, we do not care enough to humor you right now.” He said bluntly.

Luther glared at Five and just as he opened his mouth to snap back, they heard the bell, signaling them it was time for breakfast.

One by one, they each stood up from their spots and made their way over to the dining room. Where another good old fashion quality breakfast with Reginald awaited them…

“Sit.”

And just like any other meal time, the seven young teenagers did as they were told. Though, this breakfast differed from their previous ones. They were genuinely happy. No longer did they sit in silence, eating while keeping their head down. No longer did they ignore each other’s existence, with the exception of Allison and Luther of course. The puzzle pieces of their broken bond slowly came together. Each piece now matched one another; a feeling that they hadn’t felt in a long ass time.

It felt – honestly – great.

Taking a bite of her cantaloupe, Vanya munched on the pastel-orange colored fruit, savoring the sweet juices that dripped from it. She took another bite, loving how refreshing it was, while ignoring the knowing glimpses from Klaus and longing stare from Five. Then, the sober teen switched his focus on Five, wanting to know the juicy details of his and Vanya’s little romantic rendezvous.

“Hey.” Whispered Klaus, hunching over in hopes that Reginald wouldn’t look at him. Though, what he failed to realize was that it only garnered more attention. Subtly was never Klaus’ strong suit.

“Five…!” He tried again, raising his voice just a tad higher.

Five, looking away from Vanya, eyed with Klaus with an annoyed expression.

“What?”

“So…how was it…?”

Five narrowed his eyes; confusion mixed with irritation washed over his face. What the fuck was he talking about?

“The food is delicious because Grace cooked it. Just like the other millions of times she had done it.”

Klaus gave him a look, “That’s not what I meant,” He then gestured to Vanya, now garnering her attention alongside Ben’s, “I mean, the kiss you two shared last week.” He went straight for it, causing the poor girl to choke on her orange juice.

Five’s attention immediately snapped onto hers; concern glazed over his eyes. But before he could ask if she was alright, all seven of the siblings heard a loud bang. Their eyes trailed over to their dad, who definitely did not look happy whatsoever.

“Enough of this silly chatter! I am quite fed up with your constant talking and silliness. As you guys must know by now, playtime is strictly on Saturdays between noon and half past noon. I will not tolerate this disobedience from any one of you. Now, I want absolute silence for the rest of this morning’s meal. Is that clear?!”

“Yes…” The teens mumbled, subtly rolling their eyes, as they picked up their forks and continued eating.

Reginald stared at him; his gaze burned into their heads before resuming eating himself.

Moments later, both Reginald and the Hargreeves finished their last bite. Some even thanked Grace for the hearty breakfast, which secretly annoyed Reginald.

The siblings placed their silverware neatly on their plates and then stood up, patiently waiting for their dad’s instructions—just like any other day.

“Morning training session will begin in one hour. I trust you all to change into your training outfits and—” But before he could finish, this loud obnoxious alarm sounded off, echoing throughout the manor. Then, an announcement followed after as red lights flashed everywhere. This meant only one thing…

Mission time…

“Well, why are you all just standing there? Go prepare yourselves for this mission!” Reginald broke their odd trance before disappearing off somewhere, which was more than likely his office to get his notebook.

Allison kept her eye on his retreating body and just as he was no longer in her line of sight, she turned to Vanya with a pleased expression. An interesting idea planted in her mind—and it seems her siblings were on the same page.

Time for some real observations.

The girl, with the power to easily manipulate people, turned to her siblings; all of them wore this knowing smirk. Their eyes beamed with excitement, especially Diego and Luther as they were no longer practice dummies for their sister.

One by one, they directed their attention towards Vanya, maintaining that knowing smile. The poor violinist was oblivious to their excitement. Confusion washed over her face as she wondered why her siblings and Five stared at her with those weird smiles. She noticed that with every passing second, the corners of their mouths journeyed up; they could almost touch their eyes. That was how wide their smiles were.

But, why were they doing that? She didn’t say anything that could warrant such a response.

Then, it hit her. Realization dawned on her face as everything pieced themselves together.

She was about to go on a mission with them…

Oh, man…

“Are you that I should be going with you guys? I mean in the previous timeline, I simply watched with dad from the adjacent roof, where he kindly reminded me why I couldn’t play with you guys in the first place. Since, after all, there was nothing special about me.” Vanya questioned, voicing her concerns. Her eyes stared at the floor while her shoulders slumped a little bit. Her tone even dropped; drops of sadness decorated her words. Her insecurities started to get the best of her again.

Everyone, especially Five, dropped their smile. They honestly couldn’t believe the amount of times their dear old dad had to remind her about her “ordinariness”. Allison, specifically, couldn’t imagine herself telling her daughter, Claire, that on a daily basis. She knew that any child would get the hint after the first few times, but to hear that every single day? That was just awful—practically horrible.

Stepping away from Luther, Allison closed the gap between hers and Vanya’s bodies. She then placed a warm hand on the violinist’s shoulder with a reassuring smile.

“First of all, fuck dad. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Second of all, you are special, Vanya, and deserve to be out in the field with the rest of us.” She stated firmly, hoping that her words would soothe away Vanya’s insecurities. 

Then, Diego piped up, which Vanya honestly thought would be the last person to say something to her.

“Agreed, I mean if you can knock both Luther and I flat on our asses, then you can easily take down those bank robbers.” He added, recalling the exact the mission they were about to go on…again.

The rest of the siblings agree; all nodded their heads, adding their own two cents.

Well…

All except for one…

Five…

He looked a bit apprehensive about Vanya tagging along with them on this mission. If Diego remembered the details of this mission, then – clearly – so did Five. He remembered that while it was fairly a walk in the park with the rest of his siblings, how would Vanya do out there? She only ever practiced on Luther, Diego, and sometimes Klaus, so this would be an entirely different ball park for her.

Shit. He even remembered how close the hostages were being harmed by either him and the rest of the Umbrella Academy or the robbers themselves. Like, when he teleported in front of one of the robbers, and the robber started to shoot in the direction of the hostages once Five disappeared a second later.

What if Vanya was harmed by his carelessness?

Oh, God. The more the time-traveling former hitman thought about it, the more his stomach turned.

His heart would honestly shatter if Vanya were to die while out in the field.

He just couldn’t imagine his life without her…

Not after they just talked about their future together a week ago…

If something went horribly wrong, then there went their marriage life…the possibility of having a family…all the adventures they planned out…

Gone.

Deleted.

Erased…

Firmly shaking his head, Five stepped closer to Vanya, needing to be next to her. For the sake of his sanity, he had to be near her presence. Being near her body allowed Five to know that she was still alive.

“What if she gets hurt?” He blurted out, voicing his inner thoughts, as he caused Vanya to blush deeply.

Luther’s attention immediately snapped onto him. Of fucking course…

“Then, by all means, do your teleporting trick and save your princess and live happily ever after.” The group’s leader quipped, smiling sarcastically at the overly protective Five.

His snarky comment irked Five, causing the annoyed teen’s jaw to tighten. Five’s hands balled into a fist. A faint growl escaped his lips as Five silently plotted Luther’s demise. He could still send the leader up to the moon. It wasn’t too late to do so…

Just as Five turned his body towards Luther, Allison, having heard Luther’s idiotic comment, intervened. The last she wanted was for Reginald to come back down and lecture all of them, directing most of his attacks onto Vanya. They made great progress and worked too hard for that old man to eliminate it all in just one swift.

She would be damned if the apocalypse were to happen because of this. She already knew about the possibility of eliminating Claire from the timeline if this were to succeed.

She didn’t want to have done for this nothing…

“I swear on my daughter’s life, Five, that nothing and no one would harm Vanya. You and I both remember how that mission played out, so she won’t be alone for long.”

“Alone?! I was only worried about the fact that she could be fucking harm while in there. Now you’re telling me that she’s going in alone?! Fuck that noise. I’m either going with her inside that damn bank or she’s staying with me, outside.”

A long sigh escaped her lips as Allison stared at Five. She felt this irritation creep up behind her as she desperately wanted to rumor him into going along with her plan. Though, a part of her couldn’t blame him for being overly protective. After all, he always did have a soft spot for the violinist.

Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, emptying her mind of all frustration that her brother had caused, Allison came up with an idea that hopefully will win over Five.

If not, then she would resort to rumoring him. Maybe. If he wasn’t paying too much attention.

“How about this, Vanya pretends to be a hostage and takes her violin with her. If I remember that mission correctly, they were only three guys out in the open, so she can easily play a lullaby for them, rendering them unconscious.” Allison suggested, silently praying to every single God out there that Five would agree.

But he wouldn’t be Five if he agreed so easily. He was just as stubborn as Reginald.

“And how the fuck is she going to play her violin? I fucking doubt these robbers are going to let her play her instrument. Plus, do you remember that she can use other sounds and turn them into kinetic energy? She’s going to be fucking scared, and I don’t want her unleashing her ability. Friendly reminder, they are based off her emotions.” He argued; his face flushed with agitation as he wrapped a protective warm around Vanya. Now, he needed to be touching her to keep his sanity in check.

Allison rolled her eyes; the irritation crept back up on her.

“You can’t keep babying her, Five. You said so yourself last week that she was showing amazing progress, and now we just need to test it out on actual people. People who deserve to be harmed because of their morally corrupt compass.”

“First off, I’m not babying Vanya. I’m protecting her. Big fucking difference. Second of all, I did say that, but I don’t want to test out on a mission where – news flash! Ben came out looking like Carrie after the stupid prom!”

Allison snarled before counter arguing Five’s point; thus, creating a never-ending argumentative loop. Both Vanya and the rest of her siblings watched the two go back and forth. Like, as if they attended a tennis match, and both players refused to allow the other to have the match point.

After what seemed like forever, Vanya, clearly annoyed, stepped into the middle of them, forcing some distance between them.

“Guys! It’s fine! I can do it! I’ll play the hostage and help you guys out in any way I can. After all, I always want to “play” with you guys when were this age the first time,” She smiled warmly at both of them, slowly diffusing away the hostility between them, “Besides, instead of knocking them out, I do believe that robbers might enjoy something more lively and luckily for you guys, I do have some knowledge of music that gives off this feeling of confusion.” She confessed, Maybe her idea would make Five the least irritated. She then grabbed Five’s hand, lacing her fingers with his, before she lightly squeezed it, hoping the small gesture would comfort him.

Five and the rest of the Hargreeves siblings hummed in response. Their lips thinned. Vanya’s idea could work.

She would provide some sort of support that could easily be switched over to the offense position.

Yeah. Her idea would work.

But little did the siblings know, a certain someone had listened onto their discussion and also agreed with Vanya’s idea. Reginald had been wanting to see her use the violin as a lighting rod, and now he had the chance.

He quickly jotted down his hypothesis before calling for Pogo. Not even a minute after calling for him, Pogo appeared behind Reginald, asking what his master had wanted.

“Prepare some civilian clothes for Number Seven and instruct her to change clothes quickly as the crime alarm had been sounding off for half an hour now.” Reginald instructed as he closed his notebook and tucked away his pen in the pocket of his jacket.

Pogo quickly bowed his head and hurried off.

As he took off, Reginald descended down the stairs, leaving his little hiding spot. A secret alcove that none of his children knew about, so he could conduct observations without them knowing.

“What are we doing just standing in the middle of the foyer? You children look the same as I left you almost forty minutes ago. How can we save the city if we can’t even leave the house on time for these missions?!” He shouted; his voice boomed. Then, he stopped, standing near Vanya and Five, “Now, Number Seven, I want you to quickly change out of your uniform and bring your violin.” He instructed with a strong gaze.

Vanya just stood there; her mouth slightly opened. Then, she slapped herself back into reality and rushed to her room. She dressed quickly and grabbed her violin before running back to the foyer. She didn’t want her father to regret his decision.

“Now, do not mess this up, Number Seven. You just need to act like your usual self and do not get in the way of your siblings’ success, Understood?” The panting girl heard, nodding her head as she slowed down her sporadic breathing.

“Yes, dad.”

“Good. Now, come along children.” Reginald clapped his hands, acting if his children were trained seals, before heading towards the front door.

The Hargreeves children, minus Vanya, bit their tongue after their dad’s subtle jab at Vanya’s “normality” as they feared that he would change his mind about allowing Vanya to accompany them on their mission.

As they each stepped foot outside the manor, realization dawned on them.

It was too late to back out now…

No longer would the history of this mission would be remembered as just six members of the Umbrella Academy…

But it would be remembered how seven members saved the day…

Crouched down against the wall of the bank, the seven teens – blessed with powers – discussed their plan one last time. Luther eyed each and every one of his siblings; a look of complete and utter confidence burned brightly in his gaze. He trusted his siblings and now with Vanya out in the field with them, it kind of felt…complete. It finally felt like a semi-functional family…

Looking at Five and Vanya, the leader nodded, giving them the okay for them to execute the plan.

With a determined smirk, Five, who quickly put on his domino mask, wrapped his arms around Vanya, anchoring his hands against her waist, and teleported them inside the bank.

A few gasps escaped the lips of the hostages as fear and confusion continued to consume their bodies. First, this group of armed robbers stormed the bank, firing their guns. And now, two teens suddenly appeared right in front of their eyes. What was next? A monkey dressed up in a tuxedo that would offer them tea and cookies?

Vanya released a sigh of relief as the three robbers, that were supposed to be out in the main hall, were nowhere in sight. Well, at least not yet.

Five, on the other hand, glanced around, surveying the area. He wanted to make sure that his memory served him correct before teleporting out and leaving his girl all alone in a room full of armed robbers and hostages.

Minutes passed by before Five deemed it safe enough – well to his sanity’s standards – for him to maneuver Vanya over to the hostages. A few of them let out some muffled screams as they were unsure what a strange teenage boy, who just magically appeared in front of them with some girl would do to them. And quite frankly…they didn’t want to find out…

“It’s okay…myself and the rest of the Umbrella Academy are coming to rescue you guys soon.” He began, unknowingly revealing the name that Reginald was supposed to announce after the bank mission had been completed. “Now, can one of you guys kindly watch over my special little lady?” He politely asked the hostages before smiling warmly at Vanya, giving her waist a little squeeze. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw an elderly lady nod her head and caused his smile to only grow. It made his heart feel at ease knowing that someone would be protecting his little lady while he was outside for a few minutes. Five had honestly stopped referring Vanya as his sister as that was not what she was to him. He never truly saw her as his sibling…

Just as Five opened his mouth to thank the elderly woman, everyone heard a door open. The hostages froze while Vanya tensed just a bit. This was it. She was about to start phase two of the plan.

“Hey.” She looked away from the door and onto Five, meeting his warm gaze, “You’re going to be fine. I’ll be right back.” He comforted her, pressing his lips against her forehead. “I promise.” He whispered before teleporting out just as the three robbers walked out of the vault.

One of them, with a phone pressed against his ear, pointed his semi-automatic at the hostages, taking count of how many people he could use as a bargaining chip just in case the negotiations fell through.

His eyes scanned each group and then abruptly stopped one of them. He focused his gaze onto the girl with a violin case clutched against her chest.

“You there!” He shouted; his voice boomed, causing his two other partners to flinch just for a second. He then stomped over to the girl, giving her a glance-over. “Who forgot to restrain you?!” He growled, gesturing for one of the other fellas to toss over the duct tape.

“When did she even get here?” Another robber asked, walking up to them.

“It doesn’t matter…” The leader replied, finishing up taping Vanya’s wrists together. He then pushed her towards the group, where the elderly gentleman caught her before the “frightened” teen fell to the floor. Once the hostages were all secured, the leader, who was bald-headed, walked away from them, more than likely to inspect the other large group of terrified civilians.

With each step he took, Vanya felt the fear leave her body. Her lungs were finally able to retrieve some precious oxygen. Now, she just needed to soothe the storm that raged in her mind. She had to steady her racing heart or else something disastrous would occur.

And she didn’t want that…

Slowly, she inhaled, breathing deeply through her nose. Then, she released her breath, emptying her mind of all the fear and confusion that plagued it. She continued to do so a few times before she felt emptiness.

Little by little, her eyes fluttered open. With each passing second, she thought of nothing but happy memories. Memories that she created with her siblings and Five, ranging from when she and Allison sat on her bed and chatted away about Luther and Five to being a referee for Luther and Diego whenever they spared. She even recalled reading different books with Ben while Klaus did anything and everything to gain their attention.

A faint smile graced her precious face as those memories washed away and soon, Five’s face flashed in her head. His mischievous gleam in his green eyes. The same green eyes that she found herself lost in whenever she courageously returned his loving stare. Oh, she couldn’t forget his signature smirk. A smirk that had a double-meaning for whoever was on the receiving end of it. For her siblings, it contained this underlying superiority that Five felt. He knew that he was better than his siblings. And yet with Vanya, it meant only one thing. It meant that he was about to do something that would leave her breathless. A feeling that not even Leonard made her felt when they were “together”.

God, just the mere thought of her first kiss with Five made her heart flutter. It made her mind a jumbled mess. Even her stomach felt uneasy as the butterflies went into a frenzy.

The more she thought about it, the more the pinkish hue on her cheeks brightened.

And as she felt the warm sensation enter her cheeks, she felt something nudge on her foot. Her gaze trailed up slowly, noting the person’s attire, until she landed on the person’s face.

Oh, that was right. She was currently acting as a hostage for her siblings and Five. She had almost forgotten about she had been thinking about her sweet kiss with Five.

That would’ve been bad…

“Play some bank robbing music for us.” The robber rudely demanded, crouching in front of her as he released the tape from her wrists.

Remembering her part of the plan, Vanya stood up; her body tensed from fear. Her brows raised and pulled together. She swept her tongue over her bottom lip, moistening it just a bit.

With a shaky smile, she nodded, opening her violin case. She had been thankful that the robbers hadn’t taken it away from her. She gently took out her beloved stringed instrument and removed the bow from its restraints.

The frightened musician took a deep breath, quickly filling her body with nothing but confusion. She swiftly positioned the violin against her shoulder and under her chin. She then placed the bow on top of the strings as she positioned her fingers on the starting notes.

Then, with one final look at the robber, she played.

Lively music echoed throughout the main hall of the bank. The notes floated up to the ceiling as both the hostages and robbers fell victim to Vanya’s abilities; though, she had only wanted the robbers to be on the receiving end. That was something she needed to work on with Five and her siblings.

Outside the bank, Five and the rest of the Hargreeves teens faintly heard the violin. They glanced at each other, readying themselves for the bloodbath that was about to happen.

“Okay. Let’s do this.” Luther whispered harshly before they all sprung into action.

Skipping down the main entrance, Allison flashed a warm smile at Vanya before redirecting her attention to one of the robbers while the second robber ushered the rest of the hostages against a back wall. He obviously ignored the violinist as his mind – not only in foggy haze – but also enjoyed the music. It was better than hearing the sounds of the screams from his victims. And the barking orders from his leader…

“Hey, get back with the others.” Allison heard maintaining her fearless expression.

“I heard a rumor…”

“What did you say?”

“I heard a rumor…that you shot your friend in the foot…” Her voice echoed throughout the robber’s mind. His eyes became clouded as his brain randomly ordered him to aim his gun at his partner and shoot him in the foot. That order repeated in his mind like a broken record until he finally did it.

Vanya flinched, kneeling slightly, as she desperately hoped that no bullets would graze her. She also couldn’t help but feel sorry for the leader of the bank robbers. She had been on the receiving end of Allison’s ability, and she didn’t know how long that order would last for him.

“Are you okay, sis?!” Allison shouted as she practically hopped over to Vanya. And just as she neared the gap between their bodies, Luther dropped from the roof, grabbing the third robber and banging his head against the counter.

Vanya winced, noticing drops of blood trickle down the assailant’s forehead. She then saw Luther effortlessly throw him out of the bank.

“So, if I were to try out for track and field in high school, would they think I’m taking steroids or something like that?” He randomly asked, standing in front of the hostages that were positioned next to the door leading to the vault.

Both Allison and Vanya looked each other and just as Allison opened her mouth to say something, the leader of the bank robbers came out of his hypnosis.

“What did you two do to me?” He snarled, taking a step towards them.

Allison’s gaze shifted towards Vanya, worried for her sister, as she stepped in front of the violinist.

Vanya, torn between playing still to maintain the mass confusion within the robbers or switch to offense, merely stood there. The notes gradually slowed down for a moment until Allison subtly told Vanya to keep playing. They had to stick to the plan to ensure that all seven of them came out of this alive.

“If memory serves…Diego and Klaus are up next and then your knight-in-shining-armor…” Allison whispered, causing Vanya to blush.

And she was right…

Minutes after she said that, Diego showed up, throwing his knives and hitting the fourth robber; the poor fool had exited the vault to check up on the noises he heard out in the main hall. Then, Klaus appeared, doing what he did best…talking to ghosts.

“Get back, you freaks!”

“Hey, be careful up there, buddy!”

“Get back now!”

“Wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”

Klaus, Allison, and Diego all closed in on the poor, frightened leader, clearly panicking as he didn’t know what to do about these weird teenagers. He continued to aim his gun at them until something – or someone – startled him from behind.

“Huh, so that’s what it looks like when he does that to me.” Vanya mumbled, ignoring the cramp in her arms as she continued to play, maintaining the stability in her powers.

“Or what?” taunted Five, sitting on the counter, just before he disappeared as the bank robber stupidly fired his gun at nothing. Then, Five appeared just behind him, smiling smugly with his arms crossed over his chest.

The robber tried to fire his gun at the cocky teen, finally realizing that he no longer had his gun—but a stapler.

Five snorted, “Ooh! That’s one badass stapler!” He complimented before knocking out the robber with it. Five stared at the unconscious body, shaking his head slightly, before jumping down from the counter. He quickly surveyed the area before his gaze landed on Vanya. The corners of his mouth lifted up as this feeling of excitement entered his body. Oh, he couldn’t forget relief too.

Unfortunately, those feelings were short-lived as he heard,

“You guys better back up or else this girl is dead!”

Complete and utter dread washed all over the Hargreeves siblings; each one of them frozen in their spots as they saw yet another robber pressing his gun against Vanya’s head.

A faint growl escaped his lips as his hands curled into a fist. Both Luther and Ben noticed it and now no longer felt fear. Instead, they felt pity.

Pity for the robber that stupidly threatened Vanya.

“It was nice knowing you, buddy!” Klaus shouted, smiling, as he saluted the now confused robber.

Then, a flash of bluish-white appeared in front of him. Suddenly, he felt pressure around his neck before a snap echoed throughout the bank.

Ben shuddered while Luther thought snapping the poor guy’s neck was a little excessive.

“Maybe we should’ve told them not to go after you, V.” Vanya heard Klaus say as he walked up to her and rested his arm on her shoulder. Then, the two of them heard Five punch another robber, who foolishly left the safety of the vault. Well, not entirely safe as Ben would soon go in there to get the leftovers. But safe from Five.

“See, I told you guys my method works. If we want Five to be at the top of his game, we just need to use our sister.” Luther chuckled loudly.

Vanya’s brows knitted together, “Wait. You did what to him?”

But before anyone could answer, explaining what Luther had meant, Five jogged up to her and immediately pulled her into the most loving hug he could muster, breathing in her scent as her presence was the only thing that could calm him.

“Okay…can we finish this mission, please? I would like to go home now.”

**Later that evening**

Just like the previous timeline, the rest of the mission played out like it was supposed to. Reginald then introduced all seven of them to the world, clearly proud of his accomplishments. He was particularly proud that his hypothesis about Vanya had been correct. Her abilities had been tamed once she had something, she could channel her abilities through.

Now, all he needed to do was run a few more observations on it and then maybe – just maybe – he wouldn’t need to worry about her powers becoming unstable…

Hanging out on the rooftop, the seven teens threw a little celebration. Not only was the mission a tremendous success, but they had their own personal victory. They had managed to convince Reginald that Vanya genuinely belonged in the Umbrella Academy.

Maybe now he would be more willing to allow her to accompany them.

If that were to happen, then it would mean that they would be one step closer to permanently preventing the apocalypse.

They were so close…

They could feel it…

Amidst the lively chatter and laughter, Vanya managed to slip away, wanting a moment of peace. She stood by the sidelines, drinking in the tranquil atmosphere while the cool air gently fanned her face.

A sigh of content escaped her lips as she just enjoyed the peace and quiet.

Well, until Five interrupted her.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

Vanya hummed in response, peeking one eye open. A small smile graced her face as Five stood next to her, lacing his fingers with hers. He didn’t bother to ask if that was okay for him to do. He felt bold enough to test the waters and so far, she seemed like she was fine with it. He always wondered what it would be like to hold her hand. Would he feel the calluses in her fingers because of the constant violin playing? Would his fingertips be longer than hers? Just the little questions that fueled his imaginations but now? They were no longer a silly little imagination. They were reality.

“How did you like being out there with us?” He asked, trying a different question as Vanya hadn’t spoken since his last one.

“It was actually fun,” Her face beamed, “I had always imagined what it would be like to be out there, defeating the bad guys, and then doing a press interview afterwards. It honestly sucked just watching from the sidelines and fading away in the background.” She confessed; her tone dropped just a little.

Five turned his head, “You could never fade away in the background, Vanya. I’ll always be there to notice you and give you the attention that you deserve.”

Vanya’s cheeks were invaded by this rose color.

“Speaking of which, I can’t believe that you almost killed the rest of the robbers yourself after seeing a gun pressed against my head.”

“Can you blame me? They were about to take away the one person that I value most in this world.”

“Huh. You honestly weren’t kidding when you said that you would even commit murder if I ask you too.”

Five snorted, finding a tad amusing that was what Vanya got out of their little banter.

“I’m trying to protect our future, thank you very much.” He then turned his entire body towards her; his hands placed firmly on her shoulders, “So, please, for the sake of my sanity, try not to get yourself in life or death situations.” He practically begged.

Vanya chuckled softly, smiling warmly at him, “That applies to you as well, mister. I don’t want to go all dark Vanya on people who thought it was wise to harm you in front of me.”

Five pursed his lips, quickly imagining his precious Vanya going all dark again just from the mere sight of him being in danger.

“I kind of want to see that actually…” He teased just before kissing her on the cheek.

Vanya playfully rolled her eyes and before she could reply, the young lovebirds were interrupted.

“Enough with the silly old marriage like banters,” They heard Klaus just he grabbed their hands, “Time to get out there and dance as if the old man isn’t watching!” He cheered, dragging his siblings out on the dance floor.

Five and Vanya glanced at each other before shrugging and joining in. It wasn’t every day that they could actually experience a little bit of freedom.

A freedom of being normal teenagers without responsibilities as members of the Umbrella Academy…

However, unknown to them, a certain someone had been watching and listening to everything on the rooftop. He had jotted down everything and anything that he had witnessed; curiosity consumed his mind and body.

“Sir Reginald, should I put a stop to their silly shenanigans?” The Hargreeves elder heard, interrupting his train of thought.

Sighing, he placed his pen down in between the pages of his notebook and leaned in his seat.

“It is quite alright, Pogo. Besides, I want to continue observing them interacting with one another in hopes to see how deep their newly formed bond goes. Perhaps, I may not need to do something drastic in the near future…”

* * *

**A/N:** Hi everyone! I am back with another update! This was personally a fun chapter to write because I wonder how Vanya would do while out in the field with her siblings! 

Updates are  **every** Saturday, but sadly, I come bearing sad news! Both this series and  _I'm Your Music_ are on mini-hiatus status! Right now, I'm feeling the burn out from writing a lot and other personal issues are just messing up my mind, and I don't want to put out anything that is not worthy of you guys! I hope you guys understand and please be patient with me! I promise, I'm going to try and finish the 7 remaining requests for  _I'm Your Music_ and the last two chapters of this series! It may not be any time soon, but they will get finished!

Don't forget to leave a kudos/comment with your thoughts! :) I love hearing them!

\- Kim

**Author's Note:**

> This series was based off a request by newbie23: "can i request something for a fic? Like i want to see your take on them by the end of the series where they go back in time like what are they planning on stopping the apocalypse, their father being alive and that they were in the age where they being trained to hard. Also what would Vanya feel waking up after what she had done you know things like that of course i want it to be Vanya and five focused hahaha especially about their relationship :D"


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